Houston leads nation in manufacturing job growth: study

CEO Joel Johnson walks past rolls of steel at the Borusan Mannesmann Pipe manufacturing facility Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in Baytown, Texas. Borusan is seeking a waiver from the steel tariff to import 135,000 metric tons of steel tubing and casing annually over the next two years. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) less CEO Joel Johnson walks past rolls of steel at the Borusan Mannesmann Pipe manufacturing facility Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in Baytown, Texas. Borusan is seeking a waiver from the steel tariff to import 135,000 ... more Photo: David J. Phillip, STF / Associated Press Photo: David J. Phillip, STF / Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston leads nation in manufacturing job growth: study 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Harris County added the most manufacturing jobs of any county in the nation over the last two years, according to analysis of government data.

Houston's economy added 11,592 manufacturing jobs between December 2016 and December 2018, analysis by The Economic Innovation Group, a Washington think tank, found.

Texas added the largest net number of manufacturing jobs, a total of 56,300 over the two year period.

More than two-thirds of counties gained manufacturing jobs over the last two years. Across the nation, manufacturing employment has surged since the end of 2016, adding 465,200 jobs. Western regions of the U.S saw the highest annual growth in manufacturing jobs, while the south created the largest number of new manufacturing jobs.

Harris County's leading net job growth was followed by Storey County, Nevada, near Reno; Santa Clara County, California, which includes San Jose; and Alameda County, California, which includes San Francisco.

While the nation's manufacturing job growth was the most of any two year period since the recession, the U.S. is still far from recovering all the jobs lost between 2000 and 2010, the study found. Offshoring, automation and the Great Recession took such a great toll on the sector that it would take over two decades for the U.S. to add back all the jobs it lost during that period at the current rate of growth.

Recently, the sector has showed signs of slowing down. Since February, the U.S. added 13,000 manufacturing jobs, compared to 93,000 in the prior four month period.

RELATED: Manufacturing sector continues to slow its pace in Houston, survey of executives finds

Manufacturing is sensitive to developments in the global economy and market sentiments, both of which have tempered outlooks due to an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China and fears of a global economic slowdown.

In Houston, a three-month forecast for manufacturing activity in the region was down in May compared to the prior month. Also in May, the Markit Purchasing Managers' Index for manufacturing fell to its lowest level since 2009, a sign of slowing activity.