Manufacturing sector still seeks route to a rebound in the New Year

Is there any hope for a manufacturing rebound in 2017? The signs haven’t looked great, with the dollar strong and strengthening. A strong dollar makes U.S. exports more expensive. Factories actually shed jobs in 2016. But manufacturers say they’re optimistic that a domestic stimulus package — the kind of infrastructure spending plan that President-elect Donald Trump has championed — could help. But if manufacturers do go looking for workers, they’ll face a tight labor market. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in November, and we’ll get the latest jobless figures for December later today.

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