The head of a major industry association has said that recent tariff measures introduced by the Trump administration are unlikely to revive domestic furniture manufacturing jobs in North Carolina.
Shannon Williams, CEO of the High Point-based Home Furnishings Association, stated that while the region once housed a thriving furniture manufacturing sector in the 1990s, production and supply chains have since shifted globally and are unlikely to return.
Williams explained that low domestic demand for factory roles, coupled with a shortage of skilled labour, make reshoring efforts unrealistic. 'There's not many, if any, manufacturers talking about bringing manufacturing back here,' she said. 'I've heard of one from Canada moving to the U.S., but I'm not hearing U.S. companies that are using global strategy to build and manufacture products moving back to the U.S.'
She added that even if companies attempted to return manufacturing operations to the U.S., the transition could take years, by which time automation and artificial intelligence might largely replace human workers.
The tariffs have also raised concerns about rising costs and the threat of a potential recession. Williams said that retailers are bracing for economic turbulence, with some stockpiling cash or seeking innovative ways to adapt, while others may not survive the downturn.
'There are some that have reserved funds for this, some that are going to innovate through this and capitalise and there's going to be others that go out of business and can't withstand it,' she noted.
The Home Furnishings Association recently engaged with Republican members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, who reportedly responded positively and requested further information regarding the industry's concerns.
Source: www.wfdd.org