Iron and steel mills employ about 85,700 people in the U.S. That’s less than half as many as in 1990 but slightly more than in 2016 and 2017. Have the increased tariffs on steel imposed by Donald Trump starting in March 2018, partly continued by his successor Joe Biden and just this week ratcheted by Trump to 50%, played a role in this improvement? Yes, probably.

Employment in U.S. iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing fell after George W. Bush increased steel tariffs in 2002, albeit more slowly than in the preceding two years, so there are clearly forces at work apart from tariffs. Still, the sector’s jobs gains after March 2018 were impressive. Employment was up a seasonally adjusted 6,300, or 7.7%, as of July 2019. It began falling after that, but in February 2020 — just be

See Full Page