Industrial Employment Down

Some unwelcome numbers on manufacturing.

Maine’s industrial employment shrank 2.6 percent over the past 12 months according to the 2008 Maine Manufacturers Register, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News Inc. MNI reports Maine lost 2,120 industrial jobs and 24 manufacturers since December 2006, a greater loss compared to the slight employment drop MNI reported for the state a year ago.

The industrial directory’s last report cited a negligible industrial employment drop of 287 jobs between 2005 and 2006. Manufacturing employment had been declining in the state for several years prior, with MNI data showing a loss of 14,921 jobs or 15 percent between March 2001 and November 2005.
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Sectors losing employment include furniture and textiles/apparel, with each sector down 14 percent. Paper and allied products are down 2.9 percent; printing and publishing, down 1.8 percent; and chemicals, down 7.1 percent. Sectors showing growth include industrial machinery and equipment, up 4.2 percent over the year. The instruments and related products sector, which includes search & navigation equipment, measuring devices and medical instruments, is up 459 jobs over the year (20 percent).

- ReliablePlant.com