PCB007 Magazine

PCB-Apr2017

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68 The PCB Magazine • April 2017 On the campaign trail and since coming to office, Donald Trump promised to bring manu- facturing jobs back to the United States. Since coming to office, he has followed through on this pledge by announcing his Man- ufacturing Jobs Initiative [1] , which will draw on input from a council of more than two dozen U.S. executives and CEOs. He has also directed agencies to support the expansion of manufac- turing through reducing regulations. While these were welcome early measures, there is a world of difference between simply announcing an advisory council and reviewing regulations, vs. pursuing more meaningful mea- sures that will truly advance the industry. This month's column will focus on three concrete policy initiatives the Trump Adminis- tration should consider to truly help strengthen manufacturing in the United States. The les- sons—in broad strokes—are just as applicable to governments worldwide as well. One hundred days into his presidency, Pres- ident Trump must begin to face the reality that the vast majority of the 5 million U.S. manufac- turing jobs lost since 2000 can be attributed not to offshoring, but to automation. In fact, a 2015 study by researchers at Ball State University, "The Myth and Reality of Man- ufacturing in America" [2] found, "Almost 88% of job losses in manufacturing in recent years can be attributed to productivity growth…" chiefly "…automation and information technology advances." U.S. manufacturing output today is as at an all-time high, but the industry has far fewer workers because productivity has doubled since 1994. 100 Days In: President Trump and a Better Manufacturing Policy ONE WORLD, ONE INDUSTRY by John Mitchell IPC—ASSOCIATION CONNECTING ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES Photo: Gage Skidmore, Wikicommons

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