The Labor Market’s Weak Spot: Jobs Making Stuff
The Federal Reserve decreased interest rates this week, and it appears that the unemployment rate has remained steady. However, the number of new production jobs in sectors including manufacturing and construction, has decreased. In 2018, an average of 58,000 production jobs were added each month- in 2019 the current average is around 23,000. This decrease may be due to the trade war and the strength of the dollar compared to other currencies.
See "The Labor Market’s Weak Spot: Jobs Making Stuff", Neil Irwin, The New York Times, August 2, 2019