Textiles

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) projects a 12.4 percent decline in employment at textile mills and textile product mills from 2023 through 2033. Job opportunities in apparel manufacturing are expected to decline by 28.2 percent during this same time span. Factors contributing to the decline include increased worker productivity due to automation, fierce competition, mergers, and rising imports. When trade quotas were lifted in 2005, textile and apparel imports increased due to cheap labor markets in countries like China which continue to make it difficult for U.S. firms to compete.

The textile industry remains an important employer and contributor to the U.S. economy. According to the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), as of 2023, the industry employed a total of 501,755 workers in textile mills, textile product mills, and in the apparel industry. The NCTO further reported that in 2021, the U.S. textile industry exported fiber, textile, and apparel products valued at $29.7 billion to more than 200 countries, which was an increase over the exports value ($28 billion) in 2015. In 2015, the United States was the fourth largest exporter of fibers, yarns, and fabrics; by 2021, the U.S. had become the second largest exporter of textile-related products in the world.

Employment opportunities in the textile industry will come about as older workers retire or change jobs. New jobs in the apparel business will open mainly as current workers leave the field. Some textile branches, such as producers of industrial carpets, fabrics, and specialty yarns, are highly automated and may remain competitive due to lower production costs coupled with specialized facilities. The United States remains the world leader in discovering new fibers and new uses for high-tech textiles, indicating that jobs may be available for textile scientists and researchers. The NCTO reports that the "U.S. textile complex [has] developed next-generation textile materials such as conductive fabric with anti-static properties, electronic textiles that can monitor heart rate and other vital signs, antimicrobial fibers, lifesaving body armor, and new fabrics that adapt to the climate to make the wearer warmer or cooler."

The textile industry continues to create new products and expand its client base by supplementing other industries. Recent developments include producing materials for highway construction, erosion control, and space exploration. New methods of spinning, new weaving machines, better printing processes, and increased adaptation of computers to manufacturing operations have made the U.S. textile industry one of the most efficient and productive in the world. As new machines and methods are developed and put into place, technical jobs will increase, but machine operating jobs will decrease. Computers have also improved the marketing aspects of the textile industry. Software programs and the Industrial Internet of Things have created efficient electronic linkages among manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. These programs shorten the response time between the demand for products and the supply of them, saving time and money.

Concerns for the environment have led to efforts to reduce the amount of pollution generated by manufacturing plants. For the textile industry, environmental awareness can mean such steps as changing ingredients in dyes, building a water purification system, making a financial contribution for the construction of a municipal waste-treatment facility, or studying the recycling of liquids. The U.S. textile industry invested $20.9 billion in new plants and equipment from 2012 to 2021. As reported by the NCTO, U.S. manufacturers have recently "opened new facilities through the textile production chain, including recycling facilities to convert textile and other waste to new textile uses and resins." In the future, there will be an increased demand for people who are trained to protect the natural environment, such as chemists, chemical laboratory technicians, environmental law specialists, environmental engineers, and other specialists.

The DOL reports that the mean annual wage of workers in textile mills was $48,930 in May 2023. The national average for all private sector workers was $63,098. Workers earned the following average salaries by occupational specialty:

• management: $132,860
• business and financial operations: $93,650
• engineering: $84,920
• sales: $78,050
• installation, maintenance, and repair: $50,480
• office and administrative support: $46,320
• production: $40,110