Economy

PMA Members Cautiously Look to Second Half

Written by Sandy Williams

July 26, 2019

Metalforming firms are concerned about business activity in the second half of this year, according to the July 2019 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. Sixty percent of participants expect no change in economic activity during the next three months (up from 59 percent in June), 16 percent predict an improvement in activity (compared to 20 percent last month), and 24 percent anticipate a decline in activity (up from 21 percent last month).

Incoming orders are expected to remain the same in the next few months with 49 percent, compared to 43 percent in July, forecasting no change in orders.

Average daily shipping levels in July were at about the same level as three months ago.

The percentage of metalforming companies with a portion of their workforce on short time or layoff increased to 9 percent in July, up from 6 percent in June and the same period a year ago.

Finding qualified workers to fill the more than 500,000 job openings in the sector remains a challenge, said PMA President David Klotz.

To address the problem, PMA recently launched an online training program to help companies build a talent pool. METALFORM EDU helps members recruit, train and retain a high-caliber workforce for now and the future. A number of courses are also available in Spanish.

Sandy Williams

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