9000 Manufacturing Jobs Cut from U.S. Workforce in Oct.

9000 positons in manufacturing were cut from the American workforce this October, marking the third straight month of job declines in the sector, according to the latest employment situation report released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Friday.

Overall, U.S. employers added 161,000 jobs to the economy in October – a figure which some are pointing to as a sign of positive progress in job growth, and the country’s economic health in general, as the U.S. nears Election Day.

“If you wanted to show that the economy is still getting better for the typical voter, this report gives you what you needed,” chief economist for the job-hunting website Indeed.com, Jed Kolko, told the Wall Street Journal.

But for those with an eye toward America’s manufacturing economy, the numbers were less than promising.

Durable goods manufacturing, which includes motor vehicles and parts producers, took the hardest hit in October with 5000 jobs cut. However, the motor vehicles and parts segment of the durable goods category showed little change in employment, with only about 100 jobs lost last month. Manufacturers of nondurable goods cut 4000 positions.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued a statement Friday that framed the latest BLS figures show that the country is “in the longest streak of overall job growth on record,” noting that the U.S. unemployment rate lowered to 4.9% last month from 5% in September.

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