A jump of 17,000 in U.S. factory jobs last month indicates manufacturers expect their businesses to keep growing despite the obstacles posed by a slowing global economy and President Trump’s trade battles.

The new positions pushed average manufacturing employment gains to 8,000 a month for 2019, an upbeat signal for the U.S., though markedly slower than the 22,000-a-month average last year. Employers hired just 3,000 factory workers a month in April and May, the Labor Department reported Friday.