‘No Hire, No Fire’ Manufacturing Labor Market Persists, NAM Reports According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), manufacturing employment remained under pres- sure at the end of the year, reinforcing a labor market pat- tern that has become familiar across much of the sector. In December, manufacturing employment declined by 8,000 jobs, marking the eighth consecutive month of losses, fol- lowing a drop of 2,000 jobs in November. By comparison, total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 50,000 in December after a 56,000-job increase the prior month. Following the government shutdown, overall employment remains down by 67,000 jobs from September levels. Despite the continued softness, the unemployment rate ticked down slightly, falling 0.1 percentage point to 4.4 per- cent in December. The labor force participation rate also dipped by 0.1 percentage point to 62.4 percent. Excluding the impact of the government shutdown, private payrolls have risen by a cumulative 88,000 jobs since September. Over that same period, manufacturing employment has declined by 19,000 jobs, underscoring the uneven nature of the labor market and the impact on manufacturing. Job openings data further reflects the cautious ap- proach many manufacturers continue to take. Manufactur- ing job openings fell by 11,000 to 403,000 in November. The manufacturing job openings rate declined to 3.1 per- cent, down from 3.2 percent in October and 3.4 percent one year earlier. Hiring activity also slowed, with the hires rate slipping 0.2 percentage points to 2.3 percent. Mean- while, the separations rate, which includes quits, layoffs, and discharges, held steady at 2.5 percent. Together, these figures point to a labor market defined less by layoffs and more by restraint. Job openings re- main well below the roughly 500,000 level that averaged through much of 2024, yet turnover remains low. Most manufacturers appear focused on holding onto their ex- isting workforce while limiting new hiring. The continued decline in the hires rate, now approaching its 10-year low of 2.1 percent, suggests that employment levels are being reduced primarily through attrition rather than active work- force cuts. Manufacturing activity data paints a similarly mixed pic- ture. The ISM Manufacturing PMI contracted for the tenth consecutive month in December, falling to 47.9 percent from 48.2 percent in November and remaining below the 50 percent threshold that signals expansion. While over- all activity weakened, several demand-related indicators showed improvement. The New Orders Index rose to 47.7 percent, New Export Orders increased to 46.8 percent, and the Backlog of Orders Index climbed to 45.8 percent. While the improvement in demand indicators offers some encouragement, activity remains firmly in contrac- tion territory. For now, the data suggests manufacturers continue to operate in a cautious environment, balancing workforce stability with subdued activity and limited hiring.
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
CORRUGATED REPLACEMENTS, INC. www.corrugatedparts.com
Corrugated Replacements, Inc. is a production powerhouse that manufactures high quality machine parts and replace- ment parts for the corrugated and paperboard converting industries. CRI can redesign, engineer, and manufacture any part while providing a rapid turn-around rate, keeping machines running at their peak performance and limiting down time.
C.U.E., INC. www.AnvilCovers.com
Makers of single and dual-width Timesaver® Anvil Covers, the premier urethane anvil cover for corrugated die cutting. Timesaver® covers feature construction of solid steel back- ing and solid steel locking components to ensure a precise fit every time. C.U.E., Inc. also offers Dura-Latch and Cor- Lock anvil covers, and urethane Lead Edge Feed Wheels.
EMBA www.embausa.com
The EMBA group supports a complete line of corrugated converting machinery for the worldwide market. EMBA’s Quick Set technology enables the highest productivity across a broad range of converting equipment, from mini to super jumbo. EMBA also includes the McKinley jumbo line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters as well as ser- vice, rebuilds and upgrades for both EMBA and McKinley.
EAGLEWOOD TECHNOLOGIES, LLC www.eaglewoodtech.com
Eaglewood Technologies offers trusted cleaning technolo- gies for the world’s best printers and converters. Solutions include the award winning Sitexco+ Anilox Laser System, the Nanovis Parts Washing System, the Sitexco L10 Label System, the innovative Sanilox™ System or Alphasonics solutions. We also offer Xpress™ mobile cleaning service at your facility or ours. ESKO www.esko.com ArtiosCAD and Kongsberg are the most trusted names in CAD/CAM solutions. Esko’s ArtiosCAD is the most widely used CAD software in the world. Esko’s Kongsberg series of tables brings you reliable, outstanding quality for sample- making and short run production.
DOMINO www.dominodigitalprinting.com
Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions. Celebrating its 44th year, Domino is headquartered in the UK and North America headquarters are Illinois. Domino has 25 subsid- iaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 2,900 employees worldwide .
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30 January 19, 2026
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