WASHINGTON — The numbers are in, and they are a Made-in-America rout. The White House Council of Economic Advisers’ new State of American Manufacturing report finds manufacturing jobs up 72,000 so far in 2026 — led by durable goods (+101,000), metal production (+21,000) and transportation equipment (+17,000) — a complete reversal of the more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs the Biden administration shipped overseas in its final two years.
Factory construction is roaring. Non-residential specialty trade construction jobs tied to building new plants are up more than 111,000 since President Donald J. Trump took office, and the U.S. manufacturing sector entered its ninth straight month of expansion in September. Adjusted for inflation, blue-collar manufacturing workers are earning nearly $2,500 more a year; construction workers $2,900 more. More than 29 million Americans claimed the no-tax-on-overtime deduction this filing season, averaging over $3,100.
Main Street feels it. At Jergens in Ohio, 83 percent of hourly workers now volunteer for overtime under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Ketchie Inc. in North Carolina grew its workforce 25 percent after buying new machines it held off on until the bill passed. Vermeer in Iowa says immediate expensing will help add 150 to 200 jobs. Across semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, autos and metals, President Trump has locked in more than $11 trillion in U.S. investment — Micron, Apple, GSK, Stellantis and more betting on American workers again.
That is the Golden Age in steel, ships and paychecks: tariffs that force production home, tax cuts that reward overtime, and a President who treats the factory floor like the front line of national security. “After years of the Biden Admin sending American jobs overseas,” the White House said as it amplified the CEA findings, “President Trump is bringing critical blue-collar jobs back home and delivering HUGE wins for American workers!” Watch the Official White House video.
