Manufacturers: Increase in Unemployment Highlights Need for Pro-Growth Policies to Create Jobs

Washington, D.C. , 07/08/11 -  National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons issued the following statement on the rising unemployment rate, which increased to 9.2 percent according to the June employment report released today:

“The employment numbers released today are troubling to manufacturers and families across this country. The uptick in unemployment last month is a stark reminder that we need pro-growth policies from the Administration and Congress to put people back to work and get our economy growing again.

While there is debate on how to reverse this trend, one thing is certain:  imposing tax increases on job producers, as some in Washington are suggesting, will set back the economy, as will additional regulations that drive up the cost of doing business in the United States. Rather, we need tax, energy and regulatory policies that will create certainty for manufacturers so that they can hire, innovate and compete in the international marketplace.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the importance of manufacturing to our economy. The NAM agrees, and we have put forth a set of policies in our Manufacturing Strategy that will help manufacturers grow and create jobs. Now is the time for our elected officials to work together to implement policies to put people back to work and allow for a more competitive manufacturing sector.”