Published March 22, 2022

NAM’s Q1 Outlook Survey Reveals Inflation, Hiring and Tax Concerns

While manufacturers remain mostly optimistic in their economic outlook (88.8%, up from 86.8% in Q4), the survey was conducted prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.


Photo credit: Pixabay

The National Association of Manufacturers released its Q1 2022 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, which shows manufacturers’ significant concerns around inflation, hiring and potential tax increases. The NAM conducted the survey Feb. 11–25, 2022.

Key Findings:

  • 88.1% of respondents cited supply chain challenges as a primary business challenge in the first quarter, 85.7% cited increased raw material costs, and 79.0% cited the inability to attract and retain a quality workforce.
  • 88.6% of respondents said their company would find it more difficult to expand their workforce, invest in new equipment or expand facilities if the tax burden on income from manufacturing activities increased.
  • 89.4% had unfilled positions within their companies for which they were struggling to find qualified applicants.

The full Q1 survey results and report are here.

VMA Valve Industry Buyers Guide banner - find U.S. and Canadian valve companies for your project
Valve Careers banner - connect top talent with top positions at valvecareers.vma.org
Baker Hughes Optimize Service banner - proactively manage valve maintenance with VLM Cloud
VMA Valve Forum 2026 banner - April 13-15 The Woodlands Texas annual event
Baker Hughes Optimize Service ad - track valve maintenance and identify spare parts with VLM Cloud