Manufacturing added 36,000 jobs last month, with the majority in durable goods, according to a breakdown by industry issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The gains were held back by a decline of 18,000 jobs in motor vehicles and parts. The auto industry has experienced temporary plant shutdowns stemming from a global shortage of semiconductors. Vehicle production is down because of the shortage.
Despite that, durable goods industries increased employment by 20,000 jobs, the bureau said.
Job gainers included fabricated metal products, up 10,500 jobs, machinery up 8,300, and miscellaneous manufacturing up 3,400.
Manufacturing totaled 12.607 million on a seasonally adjusted basis in February. That was up from an adjusted 12.571 million the month before and 12.222 million in February 2021.
However, manufacturing employment is down 178,000 jobs from February 2020, the last month before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. economy.Over the past two years, manufacturers have implemented safety procedures aimed at minimizing the effects of COVID.
Total non-farm employment increased by 678,000 jobs last month, the bureau said in a statement. That was better than the average estimate for a gain of 400,000 jobs by economists surveyed by Reuters.
The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 3.8 percent in February, down from 4 percent the month before.
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