ISM’s Employment Index registered 53.5 percent in October, which is 0.3 percentage point lower than the 53.8 percent reported in September. This is the 25th consecutive month the Employment Index has been above 50 percent. An Employment Index above 50.1 percent, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on manufacturing employment.

Of the 18 manufacturing industries, eight reported growth in employment in October in the following order: Textile Mills; Primary Metals; Fabricated Metal Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; Transportation Equipment; Paper Products; Machinery; and Computer & Electronic Products. The six industries reporting a decrease in employment in October — listed in order — are: Plastics & Rubber Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Chemical Products; Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; and Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products.