Report Proposes Strategies to
Create Manufacturing Jobs

Released February 15, 2010

As U.S. manufacturers and the metalcasting industry continue to struggle to recover from the recession, a new report titled Manufacturing Resurgence, A Must for U.S. Prosperity written by economists Joel Popkin and Kathryn Kobe, finds that manufacturing fuels economic prosperity but requires pro-growth policies to create jobs and remain globally competitive. The report was released in January by the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA). AFS and NADCA are both members of CMA.

The report offers a number of recommendations to create jobs and enhance U.S. manufacturing innovation, productivity and competitiveness including:

• reduce the corporate income tax rate on profits earned from production in the U.Ss to match those of our major trading partners;
  
• make the research and development (R&D) tax credit permanent to provide more certainty for private sector decisions to undertake R&D;
  
• make the commitments now that will guide private sector decisions on R&D investment for cleaner energy technologies and more varied energy sources;
  
• continue to improve our education system to enhance the pool of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates and support programs of technical training and certification;
  
• assure the health of small businesses by widening the lowest corporate income tax bracket. They are niche suppliers of components and parts for finished goods manufacturers. And they are also important investors in and initiators of high-risk, ground-breaking innovative endeavors.
  
• invest in all levels of infrastructure: transportation, communication channels and the energy grid.

Dr. Popkin also highlights in his report on the erosion of America’s leadership in R&D as another major challenge facing U.S. manufacturers. This is due to in part because of the economic downturn, as well as the rapidly expanding R&D programs in other countries.

A link to the report is available at www.nam.org/popkinreport.

For more information, contact Stephanie Salmon, Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs Washington Office, at ss@wafed.com or 202/842-4864.