Manufacturing is the largest employer in only two states – down from 18 states in 2000 – according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Although only 10 percent of Americans work in manufacturing, the industry remains the top provider of quality jobs for workers without bachelor’s degrees in 35 states. The report, which looks at how manufacturing has evolved since 1940, attributes its declining status to growth in the service sector of the economy, intensified international competition, automation and increased foreign trade and offshoring.
