A new study released Wednesday by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) shows motor vehicle parts manufacturing jobs in the United States have risen nearly 19 percent since 2012.
According to MEMA, more than 871,000 Americans are directly employed by the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry. This number, which is up from 734,000 in 2012, represents 2.9 percent of the jobs in the total U.S. employment market and 2.4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), the Association says. Together with indirect and employment-induced jobs, the total employment impact of the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry is 4.26 million jobs, an increase of nearly 18 percent from 3.26 million in 2012.
The numbers are similar in the commercial vector sector, where the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) reports member markets representing OE and aftermarket (for both the on and off-highway commercial vehicle supplier industry) have added 203,000 direct U.S. jobs since 2015, an 18.7 percent increase since 2012.
“The commercial vehicle and off-highway component manufacturers help to create the vehicle safety and fuel efficient technologies that are the leading edge in our industry,” says Tim Kraus, HDMA president and COO. “HDMA members represent a very large percentage of the U.S. supply base for the industry, and are largely responsible for driving the increase in this sector’s jobs since 2015.”
HDMA and MEMA estimate U.S. truck freight is nearly a $800 billion market.
“Never before has the mobility industry had to embrace so many advances in vehicle technology so quickly and on a global scale. These numbers show that MEMA and its member companies are driving innovation, jobs, and economic growth in the U.S. by combining manufacturing and technology,” adds MEMA President and CEO Steve Handschuh. “The Mobility Industry is a significant contributor to the growth of the manufacturing and high-tech sectors. And MEMA is pulling it all together.”
In addition, MEMA reports the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry contributes $270 billion in total employee compensation, which is up 22 percent from $221 billion in 2012. Overall, the report shows that the economic contribution to the U.S. GDP generated by the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry and its supported activity tops $435 billion.
