U.S. manufacturers, plagued by supply chain issues and inflation, are demanding action from leaders as the midterm elections in November rapidly approach.
. Labor shortages in the manufacturing sector are a "long-term problem," Wetherington said Monday.
To address sector-wide workforce challenges, the NAM has called for expanding the Pell Grant programs to "include short-term or accelerated education models" and for investing in apprenticeship and "earn-and-learn" programs. The amount of tax-exempt educational assistance employers can offer workers should be upped to $11,000 annually, the group argued in its plan.
Three areas of tax policy that are important for manufacturers are the research and development tax credit, the ability to expense R&D and capital investments and business interest deductions, Timmons said during the call.