Illinois Manufacturing Jobs Increased a Half Percent Over Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Following several years of declines, manufacturing employment in Illinois rose a half percent over the past twelve months according to the 100th anniversary 2012 Illinois Manufacturers Directory®, an industrial directory published annually since 1912 by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Illinois gained 3,496 industrial jobs between November 2010 and November 2011, the first time in over a decade that the 100-year-old company recorded a gain in manufacturing employment for the state.  

Manufacturers' News reports Illinois is now home to 19,111 manufacturers employing 817,063 workers.

"We're finally starting to see positive numbers for Illinois," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Despite a high corporate tax rate, Illinois still boasts an educated workforce, easy access to capital, and a central location within the Midwest to do business. It's unlikely that manufacturing employment will ever return to the levels of ten years ago, but it's nice to see the uptick."

Bright spots for the state included Chrysler's recent announcement that it planned to hire 1,800 workers for its Belvidere assembly facility; the opening of a new Boeing plant in Mascoutah; the planned expansions of Caterpillar's facilities in Decatur and East Peoria; and Ford's plans to expand its Chicago-area plants. Excel Foundry & Machines recently announced the company would expand its Pekin factory; Continental Tire and Magnum Steel Works both plan expansions in Mount Vernon; and Italian pasta maker Pastificio will open a production facility in Bartlett. 

MNI reports industrial machinery and equipment remains Illinois' largest industrial sector by employment with 129,114 jobs, up 871 jobs or a half percent. Second-ranked fabricated metals accounts for 94,089 jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months, while third-ranked food products manufacturing accounts for 91,615 industrial jobs, down 1.6%.   

Industrial sectors that gained jobs over the year included transportation equipment, up 5.2%; instruments/related products, up 2.4%; rubber/plastics, up 1% and electronics, up a half percent. Losses were seen in lumber/wood, down 4.8%; printing/publishing, down 4.6%; furniture/fixtures, down 4.5%; stone/clay/glass, down 4.1%; paper products, down 4% and chemicals, down 1.9%.

Manufacturing locations closing down included Quad/Graphics' Mt. Morris site; the Chicago Sun-Times printing plant on Chicago's south side; Protein Solutions' meatpacking plant in Chicago; Honeywell's Safety Products establishment in Rock Island; Dehler Manufacturing's facility in Chicago; National Envelope's Elk Grove Village site; and Lifetime Doors, Inc.'s location in Watseka.

Manufacturers' News reports Northeast Illinois accounts for 70% of the state's industrial employment, with 568,929 jobs, up 2,047 jobs or less than one percent over the year. Cook County accounts for 301,209 of these jobs, down 1.4% over the past twelve months. The manufacturing employment picture improved significantly for some of the collar counties, with jobs in the region posting a net 3.1% gain. Industrial jobs were up 4.7% in DuPage County; rose 3.7% in Lake County; and increased 5% in Kane County. Will County saw no significant change in industrial employment, while McHenry County saw a 3.7% decline.

Northwest Illinois accounts for 71,735 jobs, down 1.4% over the past twelve months. East Central Illinois is home to 56,507 jobs, up 1.5%, while West Central Illinois accounts for 55,660 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Employment in Southwest Illinois increased 3% and now accounts for 35,912 jobs, while industrial jobs in Southeast Illinois were also up 3% with the region currently home to 28,320 jobs.

MNI's city data shows manufacturing employment in Chicago was virtually unchanged over the year, with the city now home to 106,980 industrial jobs, down 932 jobs or less than one percent. Elk Grove Village accounts for the second most industrial employment in Illinois with 20,333 jobs, down 1.8% over the year. Third-ranked Rockford accounts for 19,291 jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months, while Decatur is home to 11,358, virtually unchanged from a year ago. Fifth-ranked Elgin is home to 11,259 industrial workers, up 5.4%. 

Detailed profiles of Illinois' 19,111 manufacturers can be found in the 2012 Illinois Manufacturers Directory, available in print for $209, or available online through MNI's subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 60,913 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.

Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories.  For 100 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour yellow pages, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100. www.manufacturersnews.com. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.