In the effort to keep manufacturing jobs, or create new ones, how big a factor is trade? Upjohn Institute Vice President for Research Susan Houseman says it’s at least one cause of fewer manufacturing jobs.
Houseman joined WMUK’s Gordon Evans earlier this year to discuss her report called Understanding the Decline in U.S. Manufacturing Employment. She presented the findings at the Economic Policy Institutein Washington D.C. in January. The interview originally aired in February.
Houseman says automation is a factor in declining manufacturing employment. But she says it’s wrong to think that automation is the sole reason that manufacturing jobs are cut. Houseman says trade is also part of the equation. She says taxes and the exchange rate can also affect manufacturing jobs.
