Investment in manufacturing construction has also fallen 16% during that period, despite public investment pledges of some $900 billion from companies over the past year and a half. Donald Trump has promised to use tariffs, deregulation, and tax cuts to spur a “golden age” of manufacturing in the United States. But despite a modest increase in output, job losses continue. Experts say automation and foreign competition are to blame. US manufacturing peaked in the 1970s and has largely been hedging downwards for decades.
Hard Numbers
US manufacturers shedding jobs
Natalie Johnson
By Alex KlimentJune 04, 2026
Alex Kliment
Alex wears a few different caps and tips them all regularly. He writes for the GZERO Daily, works as a field correspondent for GZERO's nationally syndicated TV show GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER, and writes/directs/voices GZERO's award-winning puppet satire show PUPPET REGIME. Prior to joining GZERO, Alex worked as an analyst covering Russia and broader Emerging Markets for Eurasia Group. He has also written for the Financial Times from Washington, DC, and Sao Paulo Brazil. In his spare time, he makes short films and composes scores for long ones. He studied history and Slavic literature at Columbia and has a Master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He's a native New Yorker, a long-suffering Mets fan, and owns too many bicycles.
