ISM’s Employment Index edged down to 48.7 percent in March from 48.8 in February, marking a 30th straight month of contraction and highlighting continued weakness in manufacturing labor conditions. Since January 2023, the index has declined in 38 of 39 months, with hiring remaining limited across the sector. Among the six largest industries, only transportation equipment and machinery reported job growth, while overall sentiment points to more firms reducing staff, with roughly 1.2 comments on layoffs for every hiring mention. Seven of 18 industries recorded employment gains, including nonmetallic minerals, paper, and primary metals, while eight sectors, led by apparel, wood products, plastics, electronics, chemicals, and food production, reported declines. The data suggests manufacturers continue to adjust workforce levels in response to softer demand and ongoing uncertainty. source: Institute for Supply Management
ISM Manufacturing Employment in the United States averaged 50.07 points from 1950 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 73.70 points in February of 1951 and a record low of 27.80 points in May of 1982. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States ISM Manufacturing Employment. United States ISM Manufacturing Employment - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on April of 2026.
The Manufacturing ISM Report On Business is based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives nationwide. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month. For each of the indicators measured (New Orders, Backlog of Orders, New Export Orders, Imports, Production, Supplier Deliveries, Inventories, Customers' Inventories, Employment and Prices), the report shows the percentage reporting each response, the net difference between the number of responses in the positive economic direction and the negative economic direction, and the diffusion index. A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally declining.
|
Actual |
Previous |
Highest |
Lowest |
Dates |
Unit |
Frequency |
|
|
48.70 |
48.80 |
73.70 |
27.80 |
1950 - 2026 |
points |
Monthly |
SA
|