Industrial Directory Reports California Lost Fewer Manufacturing Jobs Over Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in California changed little over the past twelve months, down just 1.1% according to the 2011 Directory of California Manufacturers®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports California lost 17,917 industrial jobs between February 2010 and February 2011, a much smaller decline than the nearly 80,000 jobs MNI reported the state lost over the 2009-2010 survey period.

Manufacturers' News reports California is now home to 25,246 manufacturers employing 1,503,186 workers.

"California's industrial sectors continue to be affected by the housing bust and the recession, "says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, losses are starting to level off and the state's educated workforce and continued investments in innovative and green technologies are helping the recovery take hold."

Bright spots for the state include the expected opening of Yakult USA's probiotic drink factory in Fountain Valley; the opening of Tesla Motor's new facility in Fremont, which began operations at the former NUMMI site; Siemens planned expansion of its light rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento; Plastics Color Corp's new facility in Sun Valley; the opening of SolFocus's photovoltaic plant at Victor Valley College, as well as SunPower and Flextronics' joint venture in building a new solar power facility in Milpitas.  

According to the industrial directory, electronics manufacturing remains the state's largest industrial sector by employment with 248,329 jobs, down 1.3% over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 169,511 jobs, down 5.2%. Third-ranked food products accounts for 165,711 jobs, up 404 jobs over the year.

Losses in industries related to the housing sector took the biggest hit with furniture/fixtures down 7.6%, due partially to the closures of an Ethan Allen plant in Chino and of Oakwood Interiors in Ontario. Lumber/wood fell 7.3%, stone/clay/glass declined 6.7% and printing/publishing fell 3.9%, following layoffs at Zebra Technologies, among others. Gains were seen in transportation equipment, up 2% and chemicals/allied products, up 1.2%.

Southern California accounts for the largest share of the state's industrial employment with 944,926 jobs, down 1.8% over the past twelve months. Northern California accounts for 558,260, with no significant change reported.  

Los Angeles remains the state's top city by industrial employment with 81,313 manufacturing jobs, down 4.6% over the year. San Diego accounts for 69,840 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported.  San Jose saw employment decrease 2.9% and is currently home to 51,208 industrial workers, while Irvine accounts for 38,138 of the state's jobs, up 2.8%. Fifth-ranked Santa Clara accounts for 34,707 jobs, down 3% over the past twelve months.  

Detailed profiles of California's 25,246 manufacturers and 2,306 industrial distributors can be found in the 2011 Directory of California Manufacturers®, available in print for $209 and on CD-ROM from $329. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 77,039 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more. Visitors to mnileads.com may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using thirteen different criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

Manufacturers' News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers' directories since 1912, compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all 50 states. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100.  

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.