Xometry, the largest on-demand manufacturing platform, released the findings of its quarterly Small Manufacturing Index, showing that 40% of small manufacturers surveyed are likely to hire more employees this year as business confidence has risen from a year ago. Xometry partner manufacturers were even more likely to add employees with 47% reporting that they will hire this year. Additionally, 28% of those surveyed stated they have hired more employees since Q1 2017.

The majority of small manufacturers in the US are more optimistic about the market in the near future than they were a year ago. 60% of small manufacturers surveyed said that their business would either mildly or strongly increase this month vs. the same month last year. Xometry partner manufacturers were even more optimistic, with 34% of those surveyed expecting a strong increase in business vs 14% for non-network manufacturers.

"We're pleased to see the continued growth in confidence and hiring among small manufacturers," said Laurence Zuriff, Xometry co-founder and CFO. "We're particularly happy to see that our manufacturing partners are reporting an above average confidence toward  their hiring plans."   

The quarterly index, which takes the pulse of small to mid-size manufacturing shops, asked manufacturers both inside and outside Xometry's partner network whether they expected to see growth in business and hiring compared to previous months and years. These small to mid-size manufacturers represent more than 190,000 companies in an over $50 billion market.