Updated · Alliance for American Manufacturing · Aug 21
US Factories Add 31,000 Jobs in 2026 as Manufacturing Still Trails 2023 Peak
Updated
Updated · Alliance for American Manufacturing · Aug 21
US Factories Add 31,000 Jobs in 2026 as Manufacturing Still Trails 2023 Peak
2 articles · Updated · Alliance for American Manufacturing · Aug 21
Summary
31,000 factory jobs have been added so far in 2026, pointing to modest improvement rather than a broad manufacturing boom.
62,000 jobs have still been lost since Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, though that measure captures a downturn already underway before new tariffs took effect.
321,000 manufacturing jobs disappeared from the January 2023 peak to January 2025, with about 230,000 of that decline occurring during the Biden administration amid high rates, supply-chain costs and weak global demand.
1.17 million factory jobs have been added since the Great Recession low, underscoring long-term resilience even as the sector remains far below its 1979 employment peak.