Zero Manufacturing Jobs Added. Zero.

[ProSense]

55. This was not

In the 2012 campaign President Obama set a goal of creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs...But with the March jobs numbers out this morning the economy has created a total of only 39,000 manufacturing jobs this year — zero in March. That leaves the country with 961,000 manufacturing jobs to go in the time remaining.
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While the jobs report was not too bad overall, it was terrible for manufacturing. Job growth for January and February was revised up by 114,000, so average job growth for the last three months was 212,000. But job gains were largely in low-wage sectors with zero gained in manufacturing. Employment services, restaurant employees and the retail sector accounted for more than half of April job growth. Health care added 19,000 jobs.

The sequester started to hit, with 8,000 jobs lost in the federal government (3,500 of those from the Postal Service.) State and local governments lost 3,000 jobs, which means 224,000 jobs lost over the last year. Construction lost 6,000 jobs, apparently from public projects.

...a good month for manufacturing. Still, it's possible to reach the President's four-year goal.

•Creating 1 million manufacturing jobs by 2016

http://www.barackobama.com/goals/

Manufacturing job creation was revived in the President's first term.

Manufacturing Is Surprising Bright Spot in U.S. Economy

By FLOYD NORRIS

For the first time in many years, manufacturing stands out as an area of strength in the American economy.

When the Labor Department reports December employment numbers on Friday, it is expected that manufacturing companies will have added jobs in two consecutive years. Until last year, there had not been a single year when manufacturing employment rose since 1997.

And this week the Institute for Supply Management, which has been surveying American manufacturers since 1948, reported that its employment index for December was 55.1, the highest reading since June. Any number above 50 indicates that more companies say they are hiring than say they are reducing employment.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/business/us-manufacturing-is-a-bright-spot-for-the-economy.html?_r=1&hp

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002125381

As for a strategy, the President outlined one earlier this year.

Fact Sheet: The President’s Plan to Make America a Magnet for Jobs by Investing in Manufacturing
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/13/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-make-america-magnet-jobs-investing-manufactu