Holiday décor is hanging around; radio stations are playing seasonal music; and mall Santas everywhere are back on the grind. Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As advocates for American manufacturing, PMG wants to encourage everyone to consider what they’re buying and where it’s from this gift giving season.
Did you know December is National Made in America Month? President Ronald Reagan’s proclamation made it so in 1985. Yet, every year, as our total average spending has increased during the season, our percentage of dollars spent on American made goods has decreased.
The Facts
According to the National Retail Federation, the average American’s seasonal spending will approach $1,000 in 2019. That’s close to a 4% increase compared to just two years ago. It’s not just gifts and food that are driving that number either. Americans will spend over $200 per person this year on holiday decorations alone.
Total seasonal retail sales could gross over 700 billion dollars in just 2019. That’s more than 70% of the way to one trillion dollars! Some estimates say that keeping all of that money domestically could create over 4 million jobs in the USA. If this seems unattainable, however, experts recommend starting small.
A recent report by ABC’s World News suggests that if Americans each spent a mere $64 of their personal annual holiday budget on goods made in the USA this year, it would create nearly a quarter million domestic jobs alone. In December 2018, just over 300,000 jobs were created across the ENTIRE American economy, meaning we could collectively DOUBLE national job creation for the month by putting just a little forethought into how we spend $64 individually. Amazing!
If you’d like to help grow this economy while crossing off your gift list this holiday season, we’ve found five great Made in America gift lists where you can start your search.
If you’re still wondering why this topic even matters, here’s a link to 10 reasons to shop American made goods from the Made in America Movement.
Josh Erickson, ReTool & Technical Solutions Associate
For more information about manufacturing, check out our post Not Our Fathers’ Factories: Manufacturing Truths
