The manufacturing industry added 16,000 jobs in August, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Sept. 4.
This brings total estimated employment in the sector to nearly 12.64 million, up from 12.62 million in August 2025. The BLS initially reported 5,000 jobs were added in July.
The manufacturing unemployment rate was 497,000 workers, for a rate of 3.3%, compared to 555,000 workers in August 2025.
In general, 162,000 jobs were added across all U.S. industries, the BLS reported.
Monthly job additions and losses from January 2025 to August 2026
The employment index in the Institute for Supply Management’s August Purchasing Managers’ Index Report read 51.2%, down 1.6 percentage points from July. An employment index registering above 50.3% over time is generally consistent with increases in BLS manufacturing employment data, per the ISM.
Overall, economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in August for the eighth consecutive month to 54.6%. “Although we’re in the eighth month of an expansion trend, the Iran war and tariffs threats continue to be the biggest concern to the manufacturing economy,” Susan Spence, chair of ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, said during a media call.
"Factory hiring is steadily rounding into form, which is good news for workers,” Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said in a statement. “Manufacturing added 16,000 jobs last month and is up 58,000 since the December jobs report. That's some nice momentum after significant drops over the past few years. I'm on the lookout for potential roadblocks to continued growth: jacking up interest rates, letting China off the hook, and energy price shocks all come to mind.”
Openings, layoffs, turnovers and separations
July job openings in the manufacturing industry increased about 36% to 580,000 compared with July 2025, according to BLS’ job openings and labor turnover survey data released Sept. 4.
Separations decreased by 14,000 year over year to 286,000. According to the BLS, there were 180,000 quits and 88,000 layoffs and discharges. Other separations, which factor in retirement, death, disability and transfers within a company, totaled 18,000, up 4,000 year over year.
