Chad Moutray, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers, recently published this graph, illustrating labor productivity trends in U.S. manufacturing. The non-partisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation reports that U.S. manufacturing productivity performance has been “abysmal” since 2011. It’s calling on Congress to take seven steps to address manufacturing’s “productivity recession,” which it says could lead to fewer jobs, a larger trade deficit, and a weakened industrial base. 3/5/2023