Production increasing: Real output in the U.S. manufacturing sector is expected to grow nearly 2 percent a year through 2024. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015)
A hotbed for innovation: Manufacturing accounts for 75 percent of private sector research and development in the U.S., 60 percent of all R&D employees, and the most patents issued. (Source: National Economic Council, 2016)
Opportunities in small business: There are more than 250,000 manufacturers in the United States. More than 98 percent of them have fewer than 500 employees. Most of those small firms have fewer than 20 workers. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses, 2015)
Skilled workers needed: Over the next decade, manufacturers nationwide will have nearly 3.5 million job openings, and 2 million are expected to go unfilled due to the skills gap. (Source: Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute)
Competitive benefits packages: 92 percent of manufacturing employees were eligible for health insurance benefits in 2015. (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation)
