Construction jobs since 1981. See how the dot-com and then housing boom worked. Long term collapse of manufacturing employment So increased construction work obscured the ongoing collapse of manufacturing. If you have good ideas how to either employ a couple million construction workers or reverse manufacturing trends - and quickly, despite the desire of Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce for a low wage, impoverished, desperate, American workforce - I'd love to know. And, just for fun: machine tool exports by country.

Country	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Germany	$2,114	$2,481	$2,979	$3,295	$3,795	$4,382
Japan	$1,590	$2,182	$2,599	$3,168	$3,476	$3,846
Taiwan	$549	$654	$904	$1,046	$1,231	$1,545
Italy	$829	$922	$1,122	$1,081	$1,247	$1,516
Switzerland	$547	$533	$621	$727	$827	$877
United States	$594	$522	$570	$599	$760	$740
South Korea	$133	$215	$285	$284	$364	$478
Czech Republic	$142	$150	$231	$267	$292	$438
Spain	$239	$266	$251	$279	$321	$405
China	$104	$129	$149	$185	$258	$400
Global Total	$7,971	$9,407	$11,206	$12,641	$14,368	$17,170

http://www.manufacturingnews.com/news/10/0305/fiveaxis.html