A report released on Tuesday shows American industries making higher gains in production than was expected. The report also stated that most factories were operating under capacity. A spokesman for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI said that it will take around three years for manufacturing to return to previous levels. The report blames increasing wholesale costs for the lag in hiring. The number of factory employees continues to fall, even as production increases.
See "Production Gains in U.S Offer Hope for More Hiring", Javier C. Hernandez, The New York Times, December 15, 2009