Labor Sec'y on Fall in Manufacturing Jobs: We're Opening Facilities Where They Closed Under Trump, But It Takes Time

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.,” acting Labor Secretary Julie Su reacted to the decline in manufacturing jobs in the latest jobs report and the trend of declining manufacturing jobs in recent reports by stating that “we are now opening up manufacturing facilities in parts of the country where they have been closed in the last administration.” And “you have to build facilities before you can hire people to manufacture things in them” which takes time.

Fox Business Correspondent Lydia Hu asked, “[O]ne area where we are not seeing job growth is manufacturing, and that is concerning. In this report, we saw 7,000 manufacturing jobs lost in the country. The expectation was 5,000. And that’s continuing what is troubling to some, a trend of declining manufacturing jobs. According to our good colleague Edward Lawrence, … the three-month average now is roughly 9,300 jobs lost per month in manufacturing. So, what is wrong with manufacturing in America?”

Su responded, “So, manufacturing jobs have grown under this administration, also not by accident, right? Part of the Biden-Harris investing in America agenda –.”

Hu then cut in to say, “I think it’s roughly 160,000 jobs that have been added under the administration for manufacturing.”

Su responded, “So, added is the point, right? It is inaccurate to say that we haven’t grown manufacturing. And we’ve grown it, not by accident –.”

Hu then cut in to ask, “But then, what’s the trend now? Why are we seeing a — it seems like a change. Because for the — month after month, recently, this year, we’re seeing a downward decline in manufacturing jobs.”

Su answered, “So, the reality is, we are now opening up manufacturing facilities in parts of the country where they have been closed in the last administration. I visited them, jobs where people had to leave their community, leave their families to go work somewhere else are now able to come home. You’re right, though, we’re not done. We’ve got more work to do on this. And part of the investing in America agenda is the idea is we should be able to make things at home again, right? … And you have to build facilities before you can hire people to manufacture things in them. Construction jobs are up. So, the building is happening, those investments take some time. And the fact that we’ve seen them, just in the last four years, is, again, not a declaration of victory, but a declaration of progress. We’re moving in the right direction. We need to keep it up.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett