Unemployment Climbs, Manufacturing Falters in Trump Economy
With federal employment data now available following delays caused by the Republican government shutdown, the effects of the Trump economy nearly one year into his second presidency remain clear: the unemployment rate is growing, employment overall is falling and the manufacturing industry is struggling.
The first government employment report since September shows the unemployment rate in the United States rose to 4.6% in November. While November saw 64,000 jobs added for the month, the national economy is down 168,000 jobs since September. The New York Times explained about 105,000 of those positions were deferred resignations sought by the federal government earlier this year.
Previous months were revised down, with August 2025 showing a total loss of 26,000 jobs, reversing what was initially reported to be 22,000 jobs added in that month; that’s a loss of about 48,000 in total just in that month.
The unemployment rate grew from 4.3% in August to 4.6% in November, showing a gradual increase over the course of the autumn.
The unemployment rate is now at its highest level since September 2021, while wage growth is slowing compared to this time last year, also reaching a level not seen since the pandemic era.
Unemployment is growing worse in some specific demographics. Black workers have seen their unemployment rate grow by about 2% in the last year, while unemployment for young people ages 20-24 is ranging from 8.3% in November to 9.2% in September.
Hiring is uneven depending on the field. In November, health care added more than 46,000 jobs, while construction added 28,000; however, fields including manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, and transportation and warehousing saw significant losses.
November’s manufacturing job losses of 5,000 come as the field continues to see shrinking employment, according to Fortune. October’s jobs report saw the field lose 6,000, which means since tariffs were imposed in April, the field has now contracted for eight straight months.
Due to problems in the market including tariffs put into place by the Trump administration, the manufacturing field is struggling, with increased costs on the goods and raw materials used to produce items outweighing the impact of new domestic production.
By Joe O’Leary