Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the manufacturing industry requires a skilled workforce across all educational and training levels, including skilled technicians, production workers, engineers, scientists, and laboratory personnel; (2) the United States manufacturing sector faces significant challenges due to an aging workforce, labor shortages, difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled workers, and the long-term effects of offshoring; (3) in 1979, there were 19,600,000 workers in manufacturing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) by 2019, 6,700,000 jobs were lost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; (5) according to the Manufacturing Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, by 2033, the industry will require 3,800,000 additional workers, yet nearly half of these positions may remain unfilled; (6) according to the Manufacturing Institute, the economic cost of these vacancies could total $1,000,000,000,000 by 2030; (7) reshoring manufacturing has the potential to create millions of high-wage jobs, many of which do not require a four-year post-secondary degree but may include industry-recognized certificates; (8) according to National Association of Manufacturers, foreign direct investment in United States manufacturing reached more than $2,400,000,000,000 in 2024, which has helped reshoring and job creation efforts with about 244,000 jobs in 2024 and, according to Manufacturers Alliance, 268,000 jobs in 2023; (9) current manufacturing workers need ongoing training to keep pace with the expanding set of skills required for high-quality, technologically advanced jobs; (10) aligning workforce development programs with industry needs is essential to foster the skills and competencies necessary for high-quality jobs in a globally competitive manufacturing sector; (11) according to Apprenticeship USA, there were 97,500 registered apprentices in the advanced manufacturing industry in 2025, a 20 percent increase over the past 5 years; and (12) the United States should collaborate with allied and partner nations to provide opportunities for work-based learning, apprenticeships, certification programs, cooperative education, and other initiatives to engage the future workforce at all educational and career levels.