ISM Manufacturing Report Highlights Labor Constraints

The ISM Manufacturing PMI dipped 1.8 points in November to register 57.5, remaining in positive territory but indicating concerns related to the latest surge of COVID-19.

“Manufacturing performed well for the sixth straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering growth, but at slower rates compared to October,” said Timothy Fiore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. “Labor market difficulties, both current and anticipated, at panelists’ companies and their suppliers will continue to dampen the manufacturing economy until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis ends.”