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Americans support work force, see government policies as disadvantageous for manufacturing

Americans expressed faith in the country's work force but voiced concerns that government policies may be putting the manufacturing sector at a disadvantage and dissuading Americans from pursuing production jobs, according to a new Labor Day survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.

The second annual "Public Viewpoint on Manufacturing" survey indicates that 78 percent of Americans have a strong view of the significance of manufacturing, seeing it as very important to the country's economic prosperity. A similar number of respondents, 76 percent, indicate that manufacturing is very important to the standard of living in the U.S.

Further, the public believes that the American worker is ready and able to participate in a healthy manufacturing sector. When asked to select from a list of 21 attributes that make American manufacturing globally competitive, respondents identified the top three as work ethic, skilled work force, and productivity — well ahead of non-work force-related attributes such as infrastructure and natural resources.

Seventy-five percent of survey respondents believe that the U.S. needs a more strategic approach to developing its manufacturing base. Roughly the same percentage believe the country should invest more in the manufacturing industry, while 68 percent believe developing a strong manufacturing base should be a national priority.

Why aren't American workers going into manufacturing? Respondents are insecure about the future health of the manufacturing industry: 55 percent think the long-term outlook for U.S. manufacturing is weaker than today, and only 30 percent of respondents would encourage their children to pursue a manufacturing career. The survey shows that this trepidation is tied directly to concerns over government policies. Respondents consistently identified government-related factors as the biggest obstacles to the success of manufacturing in the U.S., specifically policies relating to business, tax rates on individuals, and both state and federal leadership in this area.

Emily DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute, pointed out that the public's concerns about manufacturing "do not lie in a poor image of what the jobs are like, as many people seem to think." She explained that the majority of survey respondents, in fact, see manufacturing as futuristic. "When asked if manufacturing is high-tech, 63 percent of respondents strongly agree or agree, and the same amount strongly agree or agree that it requires well-educated, highly skilled workers," DeRocco said.

DeRocco summed up the survey by explaining that if the public does not think there is a national manufacturing direction, people are not likely to pursue jobs in the sector or support the construction of new plants in their communities.

"The bottom line," said DeRocco, "is that we must reconcile America's belief in the prowess of our work force with its concerns about policy disadvantages."

More information and the survey findings can be found here.