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 91.8 percent of manufacturers positive about their own company’s outlook over that time frame, compared to an average of 68.6 percent across the two years of 2015 and 2016. Manufacturers’ top concern remains the inability to attract and retain a quality workforce, and concerns about our nation’s crumbling infrastructure continue to rise.
Manufacturing in the United States is on the rise, and manufacturers are confident about the future. Empowered by tax reform and regulatory certainty, manufacturers are investing in our communities and in our people. But to keep up this momentum, we have to get serious about infrastructure investment and attracting, recruiting and training our people for the high-tech, high-paying modern manufacturing jobs of today and tomorrow.
Jay Timmons, NAM President and CEO
Note: The NAM has conducted this survey quarterly since 1997, with the NAM’s membership submitting this quarter’s responses from February 16 to March 1. In total, 466 manufacturers from all parts of the country, in a wide variety of manufacturing sectors and in varying size classifications responded this quarter. Aggregated survey responses appear in the full report. The next survey is scheduled for June 2019.
