First Factory Jobs Gain Since 2024 Offers Hope of Recovery
Workers assemble vehicles on the production floor at a vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Georgia.
Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/BloombergEmployment at US factories increased for the first time since late 2024, a nascent sign that American manufacturing may be starting to emerge from years of malaise.
Manufacturers’ payrolls unexpectedly rose by 5,000 in January, fueled entirely by a pickup in employment at producers of durable goods and equipment, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Wednesday. When combined with a solid advance in the construction industry, the gain helped drive up total payrolls among goods producers by 36,000 — the most since mid-2023.