Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2026 The National Association of Manufacturers Q1 2026 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows optimism among manufacturers is rising, with 75.3% reporting a positive outlook for their company, up 5.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. For the first…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2025 The National Association of Manufacturers Q4 2025 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows a mixed bag of economic challenges facing the sector. Optimism rose 4.9 percentage points, with 69.9% of respondents reporting a positive outlook for…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2025 The National Association of Manufacturers Q3 2025 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey reveals optimism among manufacturers has jumped—even as challenges persist across the sector. The survey found a 10-percentage-point increase in confidence, with 65.0% of respondents…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2025 The National Association of Manufacturers Q2 2025 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey reveals optimism among manufacturers across the country has dropped sharply. Only 55.4% of respondents report a positive outlook for their companies—a nearly 15-percentage-point drop…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2025 The National Association of Manufacturers Q1 2025 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey reveals growing concerns over trade uncertainties and increased raw material costs. Trade uncertainties surged to the top of manufacturers’ challenges, cited by 76.2% of…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2024 The National Association of Manufacturers Q4 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey illustrates that even with ongoing economic challenges, manufacturers are more optimistic post-election about potential action on expiring tax provisions and efforts to curb the…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2024 The National Association of Manufacturers Q3 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey highlights uncertainty across several challenges and shows a drop in manufacturing sentiment in the third quarter. The NAM conducted the Q3 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2024 The National Association of Manufacturers Q2 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey highlights the immediate need for Congress to take action to prevent tax increases that will limit the industry’s ability to create jobs, support their…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2024 The National Association of Manufacturers Q1 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows that the expiration of federal tax incentives related to R&D, interest deductibility and expensing for capital investments has already caused nearly 40% of…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2023 The National Association of Manufacturers Q4 2023 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows that small companies with fewer than 50 employees and medium-sized firms with between 50 and 499 employees, which make up a vast majority…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2023 The National Association of Manufacturers Q3 2023 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows manufacturers’ with the lowest level of optimism among NAM members (65.1%) since Q2 2020. The sector continues to confront a tight labor market,…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2023 The National Association of Manufacturers Q2 2023 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows manufacturers’ mounting concerns over the onslaught of unbalanced federal regulations and the threat that poses to sustaining manufacturing investment, job creation and wage growth.…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2023 The National Association of Manufacturers Q1 2023 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows manufacturers’ concerns around key tax, trade, permitting and regulatory proposals. The NAM conducted the survey from Feb. 21 to March 7, 2023. Key…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2022 The National Association of Manufacturers Q4 2022 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows manufacturers’ concerns around a challenging economic environment characterized by inflation, supply chain disruption and the workforce crisis. The NAM conducted the survey Nov.…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2022 The National Association of Manufacturers Q3 2022 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows mixed results around a challenging economic environment, inflation, supply chains and the workforce. The NAM conducted the survey Aug. 16–30, 2022. Key Findings:…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2022 The National Association of Manufacturers Q2 2022 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows manufacturers’ significant concerns around recession, inflation, hiring and China competition legislation. The NAM conducted the survey May 17–31, 2022. Key Findings: In the…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2022 Demand for manufactured goods remains strong despite a multitude of headwinds in the global economy. The challenge for manufacturing firms has been in meeting that demand, with sizable hurdles from supply chain disruptions, workforce…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2021 Manufacturing activity remains robust, especially demand, with the U.S. and global economy continuing to rebound from the sizable declines in spring 2020. And yet, significant challenges remain, including supply chain disruptions, worker shortages and…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2021 Manufacturing activity remains robust, especially demand, with the U.S. and global economy continuing to rebound from the sizable declines in spring 2020. Real GDP and manufacturing production now exceed pre-pandemic levels, which is encouraging.…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2021 Manufacturing activity plummeted sharply as businesses grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and the global recession in the spring of 2020, but the sector has bounced back sharply since then. Now manufacturing production is likely…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2021 After plummeting sharply last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the global recession, manufacturing activity has rebounded sharply, with the sector being a bright spot in the economy in recent months. Manufacturing production…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2020 The National Association of Manufacturers has released its fourth-quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, which shows a strong rebound since COVID-19 disrupted business in the spring. In the fourth-quarter survey, 74.2% of respondents said they were…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2020 Manufacturers have been severely challenged by demand and business disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession. Despite finding levels of sentiment rivaling the Great Recession, the National Association of Manufacturers’ survey…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2020 Despite global economic concerns and trade uncertainties in 2019, the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers illustrates the growing optimism in the sector in early 2020—and reinforces the stabilization reported…
Coronavirus Special Survey The National Association of Manufacturers conducted a survey of its member companies on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak to manufacturers. The survey was in the field from Feb. 28 to March 9, 2020. The 558 respondents…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2019 In 2018, manufacturers’ optimism reached an all-time high, according to the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey. After two consecutive quarters in 2019 showing a significant drop in manufacturers’ optimism amid uncertainties, the fourth quarter survey…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2019 In 2018, manufacturers’ optimism reached an all-time high, according to the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey. For the second consecutive quarter in 2019, the survey shows a significant drop in manufacturers’ optimism amid uncertainties, softening…
Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2019 2018 was a banner year for many manufacturers, with optimism reaching an all-time high as recorded in the Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey. In the field during the prospects of tariffs on Mexican goods and still…
The NAM once again defied the odds in 2018, delivering historic wins for manufacturers. While others said it was impossible to get results in a tumultuous election year, the NAM did what manufacturers do best: bring people together.
Health care spending continues to be one of the top issues for manufacturers and small businesses. Despite such frustrations with pricing pressures, manufacturers see the benefits of offering health care options to their employees.
The rapid increase in domestic natural gas (NG) production continues to reshape the U.S. economy and redefine America’s competitive advantages within the global economy, especially within the manufacturing sector.
Trade operations at all seaports along the U.S. West Coast are facing great uncertainty. As disruptions continue, the economic impact becomes increasingly significant and widespread.
Many of the policy decisions made over the last eight years have been extraordinarily difficult for manufacturers. Now it’s time for a reset—and a better direction.
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2019 Empowered by tax reform and regulatory certainty, manufacturers are investing in our communities and in our people. Our latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey shows nine consecutive quarters of record optimism, with an average of…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2018 Manufacturers continued to report strong growth in activity, with the sector remaining one of the brightest spots in the economy. In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM),…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2018 Manufacturing activity remains robust—one of the brightest spots in the economy right now. In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), it is clear that manufacturing leaders in…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2018 In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), it is clear that businesses continue to experience highly elevated levels of activity as a result of pro-growth policies like…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2018 In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), U.S. manufacturers express levels of optimism about the future of their companies and their industry that have never been seen…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2017 In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the Natonal Association of Manufacturers (NAM), manufacturers’ optimism has risen to unprecedented heights, driven by their belief that the progress the White House and Congress have…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2017 In the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the historically high levels of optimism that U.S. manufacturers expressed during the first two quarters of 2017 continued unabated through…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2017 The manufacturing sector has begun to turn a corner in recent months, trending in the right direction both in the United States and globally after struggling for much of the past two years.…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2017 Americans appear to be more optimistic about growth in recent months, and manufacturers are no exception. New results from the NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook survey show manufacturers’ optimismrose to a new all-time high in…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Fourth Quarter 2016 There is a sense of optimism in the air as we end 2016, especially since the election. Americans appear to be cautiously upbeat about growth moving forward, and equity markets have reached all-time…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Third Quarter 2016 Manufacturing sentiment appears to have stabilized after several quarters of declining assessments about the economic outlook, and the latest data appear to mostly back that assertion up, but with some caveats. Indeed, economic…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: Second Quarter 2016 Manufacturing sentiment appears to have stabilized after several quarters of declining assessments about the economic outlook, and the latest data appear to mostly back that assertion up, but with some caveats. Indeed, economic…
NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey: First Quarter 2016 Sluggish growth abroad, a stronger U.S. dollar, the West Coast ports slowdown, still-cautious consumers and sharply lower energy prices have combined to provide a significant headwind for many manufacturers. However, manufacturing demand and…
