This editorial challenges the long-held assumption that a service-dominated economy ensures widespread prosperity. It calls for a more balanced economic model that includes advanced manufacturing alongside services.
This is a conceptual and opinion-based editorial that synthesizes labor market trends, economic data and scholarly perspectives on the current state of the US service economy.
The editorial argues that a service-driven economy has produced a bifurcated labor market − marked by low-wage, precarious service jobs for many and declining access to stable, middle-tier roles. It advocates for the reindustrialization of the US economy as a complement to service growth.
Scholars and policymakers should consider how to support inclusive economic development through vocational training, domestic manufacturing investment and improved access to high-value service and industrial roles.
This editorial contributes to current debates on service-sector sustainability and economic equity. It encourages service marketing scholars to engage with broader structural issues shaping labor, innovation, and opportunity in the service economy.
