It’s becoming more apparent that the U.S economy is in a slow but accelerating recovery.
According to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) semi-annual forecast, the U.S. manufacturing sector will grow in 2011, with manufacturing revenue increasing by 5.6%.
ISM also predicts that business investment, a major driver in the U.S. economy, will increase substantially in the manufacturing sector.
In the ISM survey, manufacturers also indicated that they expect employment in the sector will increase by 1.8%.
Along with that employment increase, respondents said they expected labor and benefits costs to increase an average of 1.9% in 2011.
In positioning business to take advantage of the growing economic recovery, companies and organizations have to take a close look at their methods of operation and find ways to improve productivity in all areas, particularly in view of the potential for rising employee compensation costs.