Manufacturing is by far the largest of the goods-producing industries in terms of employment.
Manufacturing represents 5.5 percent of all establishments and 14.8 percent of all employment covered by unemployment insurance. Employment data for 1990 to 2000 based on an establishment survey show annual average employment in manufacturing fluctuating between 1991 and 2000. In 2000, manufacturing employment stood at 18.4 million. From its cyclical trough in 1991, in contrast, employment for the economy as a whole has increased every year and stands 21.9 percent above that point. Over the 1990-2000 period, the unemployment rate in manufacturing rose to 7.8 percent in 1992 and fell to 3.6 percent in 2000.