Li Qiang
On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out a bold new tariff package aimed at jumpstarting U.S. manufacturing. It sparked headlines across the world, but two challenges remain unresolved: a severe skilled manufacturing labor shortage and a fragile, incomplete supply chain.
The United States does not lack jobs; it lacks stable and accessible quality employment. A 2024 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce noted that Wisconsin had only 54 available workers for every 100 job openings, with Pennsylvania and other Midwestern states facing similar shortages.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of January 2025, there were approximately 513,000 unfilled positions in the manufacturing sector – further highlighting the ongoing labor shortage and making it difficult for companies to sustain large-scale production in the United States.
Companies in the U.S. also struggle to live up to their labor promises. Foxconn’s failed pledge to create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin – ending with fewer than 1,000 by 2023 – stands as a cautionary tale of what happens when policy fails to align with labor and supply realities. Similarly, after struggling to staff its Nevada Gigafactory, Tesla shifted focus to Shanghai – where its facility now produces over half of the company’s global deliveries. In 2024 alone, the Shanghai plant delivered 916,660 vehicles, as reported by Bloomberg.
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