Services may make up the biggest part of the U.S. economy, but factory workers are sure in demand.
American men and women spent an average 42.1 hours a week on assembly lines in May, the most in the post-World War II era, Labor Department data show. The postwar peak was first eclipsed in November, when the workweek lengthened to 42 hours.
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For those looking for work in the nation’s factories, the longer workweek and a brighter outlook for sales suggests manufacturers may soon be putting out more help-wanted signs. Job openings at factories rose in April to highest level this year, according to a Labor Department today. That’s good news considering the 5.4 percent gain in factory employment since the end of 2009 has lagged behind the 6.8 percent increase in total payrolls.