FWIW, pretty much everyone in Canada gets the 21st century manufacturing story wrong. That’s why you’ll all have to read my report when it comes out!

Specifically, what people get wrong:
- Think manufacturing employment decline was a recession thing (most job losses occurred *before* the recession).
- Think mfg employment has been ‘volatile’ in recent years (we’re in an unprecedented period of stability).
...

- Think mfg employment decline is an Ontario thing (other than in 2008-09, employment trajectories nearly identical in ON and QC this century).
- Think it’s largely a male phenonemon (huge losses among women as apparel, leather and footwear industries near wiped out)

/thread

I should add what people get right:
- Manufacturing employment decline a function of skyrocketing loonie in 2000s - true!
- Mfg employment decline also due to competition from China - also true!
- Lower skilled jobs were most vulnerable - absolutely true!

One more: Why people get the manufacturing story wrong:
- They overfocus on automotive (hugely important industry, but lots of other important ones)
- Canada’s economy great in 2003-08; made it easy to ignore sector’s woes.
- Recession was dramatic...

- Tendency to want to blame politicians for sector’s failings, which makes us overemphasize importance of fed/prov policies and underemphasize external factors (China, rise of loonie)
- This domestic focus leads to overemphasized role of ON policies during 2009-16 period.