Manufacturers Launch a Plan for Economic Growth
10/13/11 - The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today rolled out its blueprint for economic growth to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers. A Manufacturing Renaissance: Four Goals for Economic Growth focuses on investment, trade, the workforce and innovation. Manufacturers released the plan at their annual Board of Directors meeting.The United States is currently the world’s largest manufacturing economy, but our competitors overseas are gaining ground with each passing day. The recent Public Perception survey by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte shows that Americans want manufacturing to remain strong but don’t believe policymakers are setting the right policies for manufacturers to be successful. A Manufacturing Renaissance is a roadmap for policymakers.
“Right now, it is 20 percent more expensive to do business in the United States than in the countries that are our largest trading partners. At such a disadvantage, it is difficult for manufacturers to compete,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The time is now for the U.S. to pursue an aggressive competitiveness agenda to get Americans back to work. Manufacturers want to lead our nation in creating jobs and driving economic growth, but we need pro-growth policies to bring about a manufacturing renaissance.”
In September, manufacturing lost 13,000 jobs on top of the 4,000 shed in August. Pro-growth policies are needed now to allow manufacturers to grow and create jobs. A Manufacturing Renaissance sets four main goals to help our nation’s manufacturing sector remain strong:
- The United States will be the best place in the world to manufacture and attract foreign direct investment.
- The United States will expand access to global markets to enable manufacturers to reach the 95 percent of consumers who live outside our borders. Manufacturers in the United States will have the workforce that the 21st-century economy requires.
- Manufacturers in the United States will be the world’s leading innovators.
- Manufacturers will be urging policymakers and all candidates for public office to support and enact the pro-manufacturing policies laid out in A Manufacturing Renaissance to increase investment in our economy, boost trade, strengthen the workforce and drive innovation.
To view the NAM’s blueprint, A Manufacturing Renaissance, please visit www.nam.org.