Aluminum Association
US aluminum’s 98% employment shift: Why downstream companies matter
Over the past few years, the employment story of US aluminum industry has been entering chapters from the downstream segment. According to the Aluminum Association, almost 98% of all US aluminum jobs are now concentrated in mid- and downstream processing and recycling, even as employment in primary aluminum has fallen sharply. The Aluminum Association’s latest 2026 economic impact study puts direct industry employment at 165,354 jobs, with the wider aluminum ecosystem supporting 871,464 direct, indirect and induced jobs and generating $326.4 billion in economic output. The shift is particularly evident in recent employment growth. Between 2024 and 2026, jobs in secondary aluminum production rose 21.9%, aluminum coatings 23.1% and sheet and extrusions 22.2%, while primary aluminum...
Aluminum Association backs ‘all-of-the-above’ supply approach after Trump says US ‘desperately needs aluminum’
The Aluminum Association has responded to President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that the United States “desperately needs aluminium,” with its President and CEO Charles Johnson calling for an “all-of-the-above” approach that expands both primary and recycled aluminium production while maintaining access to imported metal from reliable trading partners. Johnson said Trump was right about the need for aluminium in the US but argued that domestic production alone cannot meet current demand. “We need to build both primary and secondary capacity — coupled with smart, targeted trade enforcement — to win the future,” he said. The comments followed Trump’s remarks during a telephone rally for Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei. There he stated, “Selfishly, we need aluminium...
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
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A report that reveals where the aluminium casting industry is heading and how businesses can act.
LEARN MOREGermany’s construction aluminium demand falls 12%, but 2027 recovery and recycling offer fresh growth prospects
AL Circle analysis: Germany’s aluminium trade surplus, Novelis’ US expansion, Asia’s EV demand & India’s underutilised downstream capacity
AL Circle Analysis: From Guinea to Gulf, how bauxite, tariffs and logistics redraw aluminium map
India’s bauxite imports jump 129.5% in H1 2026: Quality gap, refinery expansion outpace 25Mt domestic output
Who’s holding up Germany’s aluminium game? Meet EGA, Hydro and Constellium
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Aluminum Association applauds Trump administration action to secure critical materials supply chains
The Aluminum Association today welcomed President Trump's memorandum calling for strengthened domestic supplies of recoverable critical minerals and materials. The memo directs the Commerce Secretary to take “all appropriate action under section 101 of the [Defense Production] Act” to “secure the supply of recoverable Critical Minerals and Materials.” Aluminium is one of only a handful of materials included on every government critical minerals list. The Aluminum Association has called for targeted scrap export controls to keep more of this vital material in the United States. Aluminium scrap exports are growing, and much of this metal is ending up with strategic rivals including China, either directly or through third-party countries. The association encourages the Commerce Department to...
New jobs report shows strength, resiliency of US aluminium industry
A new study by economic research firm John Dunham & Associates found that the US aluminium industry directly employs more than 165,000 workers, essentially unchanged from a decade ago despite significant shifts across manufacturing segments and global market conditions. The 2026 Economic Impact of the U.S. aluminium industry study also found the industry generated more than USD 115 billion in direct economic output, the highest level recorded since the association began tracking in 2013. “The story of the American aluminium industry over the past decade is one of resilience and reinvention,” said Charles Johnson, president & CEO of the Aluminum Association. “The aluminium industry is making generational investments in U.S. manufacturing even as some market segments struggle. Aluminium...
APAA celebrates one year of President Trump's 50 per cent Section 232 aluminium tariff and historic investments in US manufacturing
Today, the American Primary Aluminum Association celebrates the one-year anniversary of President Trump's 50 per cent Section 232 aluminium tariff. This tariff is revolutionising domestic manufacturing production, strengthening supply chains, creating thousands of new jobs, generating billions of dollars in US investment, and fortifying our national security. President Trump strengthened the Section 232 aluminium tariff to combat unfair trade practices and persistent cheating by foreign governments, delivering unprecedented wins for American workers in the aluminium industry: Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum plan to build the first new US smelter in nearly 50 years, a more than USD 4 billion investment that will more than double US production capacity and create over 5,000...
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