On the heels of another terrible jobs report, the Center for American Progress (CAP) reports that the U.S. manufacturing sector has lost 42,000 jobs since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement in April.
It’s a clear sign that Trump’s trade policies are suffocating U.S. manufacturing, with 76,000 fewer job openings and 18,000 fewer hires as companies struggle under the weight of tariffs and uncertainty.
Despite the administration’s claims that tariffs would bolster American manufacturing, the data indicate the opposite outcome. The manufacturing sector’s performance in 2025 is trailing behind that of 2024, with job openings and hiring rates in July 2025 being 3.3% and 2.5% lower than the rest of the labor market, respectively.
Wage growth in the manufacturing sector has also stagnated. In August 2025, average hourly earnings increased by only 10 cents from the previous month, mirroring the overall private sector’s wage growth. This is a significant slowdown compared to earlier in the year, when manufacturing wages had been rising more rapidly.
The impact of these policies is disproportionately affecting Black workers, who are experiencing higher unemployment rates. The decline in manufacturing jobs further threatens the economic security of the Black middle class, which has historically been linked to the health of the manufacturing sector.
The administration’s trade policies, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which gutted clean energy manufacturing incentives, continue to jeopardize the future of American manufacturing. According to CAP, without strategic investments and policies that support domestic production and innovation, the sector’s decline is expected to continue.
“Forty-two thousand manufacturing jobs were lost in just four months, and the administration is still patting itself on the back while lying about how successful their policies have been. Families are feeling the reality on the ground, and it doesn’t match up with the rhetoric from Trump and his Republican allies,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “This administration doesn’t care that these are real families losing paychecks, struggling to make ends meet, and watching their futures vanish in front of their eyes. Americans deserve better.”
Read the full report on AmericanProgress.org
Published: Sep 5, 2025 | Last Modified: Sep 16, 2025