Nobel economist warns a dearth of blue-collar jobs is among the biggest threats to the U.S. economy—and they fell by more than 100,000 last year

Joseph Stiglitz stands behind a glass podium, pointing emphatically. (Credit: Stefano Guidi—Getty Images for Polito di Torino)

Nobel Prize–winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has a poor prognosis for the state of the economy: “Not great right now,” he said on CNBC’s Squawk Pod on Thursday. “And the prospects are that it’s going to get worse.”

In a criticism of President Donald Trump’s economic policies, Stiglitz said one of the greatest threats to the precarious health of the U.S. economy was slumping blue-collar jobs, including a scarcity of manufacturing roles.