Industrial Directory Reports Louisiana Manufacturing Jobs Remained Steady Over Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Louisiana remained steady over the past twelve months according to the 2011 Louisiana Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Louisiana lost just 1,147 industrial jobs or less than one percent between April 2010 and April 2011, much smaller than the 2.3% loss MNI reported for the state over the 2009-2010 survey period.

Manufacturers' News reports Louisiana is now home to 5,235 manufacturers employing 190,408 workers.

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Louisiana and across the U.S.," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Louisiana's manufacturing sector is faring well due to worldwide demand for petroleum and coal products, as well as its abundant natural resources."

Bright spots for the state included several plant openings such as Scotts Miracle-Gro's new manufacturing facility in Ascension Parish; Shell's new asphalt plant in St. Rose; a Con Agra sweet potato-processing factory in Delphi, which employs 275 people; a new Airgas facility in Harvey, which will produce packaged gases and welding equipment; and the joint venture between Tyson Foods and Syntroleum to open a biofuels plant in Geismar. In addition, Roy O. Martin Lumber Company expanded its plywood plant in Chopin; Canadian-based Enbridge announced plans to expand its gas processing plant in Venice; and Bradken Engineering Products will expand its foundry in Amite, adding 171 employees to the facility.

MNI reports Louisiana's three largest industrial sectors posted employment gains over the survey year. Chemical manufacturing employs the most industrial workers in Louisiana, with 25,186 of the state's jobs, up 1% over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 23,518 industrial jobs, up 3.5%. Oil and gas extraction ranks as the state's third largest manufacturing sector with 19,086 of the state's industrial jobs, up 6% over the past twelve months.

MNI reports manufacturing sectors that lost jobs over the past twelve months included furniture/fixtures down 11.6%; fabricated metals down 5.6%; printing/publishing down 5.6%; stone/clay/glass down 5.4%; food products down 4.5%; rubber/plastics down 3.2%; and lumber/wood down 1.7%. Gains were seen in petroleum and coal products, up 3.4%, and paper products, up 1.9%.

Companies cutting staff include Northrop Grumman, which has begun layoffs at its Avondale shipbuilding location in anticipation of a closure by 2013; Lockheed Martin, which saw layoffs at its NASA Michoud Assembly plant in New Orleans after production of external fuel tanks for spacecraft was shut down.

MNI reports Southeast Louisiana accounts for 98,537 industrial jobs, down 1.2% over the year. Southwest Louisiana accounts for 52,521 manufacturing jobs, up 1.9%. The Northwest region of the state accounts for 28,644 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported, while the Northeast accounts for 10,706, down 4.1%.

Baton Rouge remains the state's top city by industrial employment, accounting for 15,793 manufacturing jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Shreveport accounts for 10,113 industrial jobs, up 6.2% over the year. Lafayette accounts for 9,122 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported, while New Orleans accounts for 8,976, down 7.5% over the year. Fifth-ranked Houma saw jobs increase 2.4% and currently accounts for 8,786 industrial jobs.

Detailed profiles of Louisiana's 5,235 manufacturers and 1,090 industrial distributors can be found in the 2011 Louisiana Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $110 and on CD-ROM from $167. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 18,557 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.