Foreign direct investment in U.S. high-value services now creates significantly more jobs per dollar than manufacturing, according to a 2025 report.

A 2025 fDi Intelligence report reveals that foreign direct investment in high-value services now generates significantly more jobs per dollar than traditional manufacturing. In the U.S., software, healthcare, and financial services created 48% to 105% more jobs per $1 million invested, while business services led globally with 10.9 jobs per million in the U.S. and 8.5 in the Eurozone. Job creation in key manufacturing sectors like semiconductors and electric components declined sharply between 2012 and 2024. The report emphasizes a shift toward data-driven investment strategies, sustainability metrics, and digital infrastructure, with growing focus on industrial zones, green energy, and global tax policy tensions, particularly in Germany’s resistance to the global minimum tax agreement.