Industrial Jobs in Arkansas Declined 1.5% Over Past Year

EVANSTON, Ill., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Arkansas fell 1.5% over the past twelve months according to the 2012 Arkansas Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Arkansas lost 3,243 manufacturing jobs from September 2010 and September 2011, an improvement compared to the 9,000- job loss MNI recorded over the 2009-2010 survey period.

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Arkansas and across the U.S.," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state's low business costs and investments in green technologies have been a draw for a variety of enterprises."

Bright spots for the state included the openings of New Millennium Building Systems in Hope; Nordex U.S.A.'s wind turbine plant in Jonesboro; Caterpillar's road grader facility in North Little Rock; and Saint-Gobain's  ceramic proppants factory in Saline County. Nibco plans an expansion of its valve plant in Blytheville and Unilever PLC announced an expansion of its Jonesboro facility.

Manufacturers' News reports Arkansas is now home to 3,615 manufacturers employing 199,915 workers.

MNI reports food products remains the state's largest manufacturing sector by employment with 50,504 jobs, down 2% over the survey period. Second-ranked fabricated accounts for 16,084 industrial jobs, down 1.2% over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment employs the third most at 15,848 jobs, down 6.9%.

Sectors that lost jobs over the year included furniture/fixtures, down 14.8%; electronics, down 6.7%; lumber/wood, down 4.5%; printing/publishing, down 4.3%; paper products, down 3.1%; and stone/clay/glass down 2.7%. Gains were seen in oil and gas extraction, up 8.9%; rubber/plastics, up 4.6%; petroleum and coal products, up 2.7%; and primary metals, up 2.4%.  

Industrial locations closing over the year included two Conestoga Wood Specialties plants in Mountain View and Jacksonville; a Graphic Packaging International facility, also in Jacksonville; Smurfit-Stone's plant in Jonesboro; Petit Jean Poultry's location in Arkadelphia; and Southern Steel and Wire's factory in Fort Smith. In addition Whirlpool recently announced plans to close its Fort Smith plant, affecting approximately 1,000 workers.

According to the Register, Northwest Arkansas accounts for the largest share of industrial employment with 112,175 manufacturing jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago. The Northeast region ranks second at 37,002 manufacturing jobs, down 2.3% over the year. Southwest Arkansas is home to 32,173 industrial jobs, down 4.9%, while the Southeast is home to 18,565 jobs, down 3.2%.

MNI data shows Fort Smith is Arkansas' top city for manufacturing employment, accounting for 14,129 of the state's jobs, down 8% over the year. Little Rock is home to 13,373 jobs, up 3% over the past year. Third-ranked Springdale is home to 11,988 industrial jobs, up 2.5% over the past year, while jobs were down 1.8% in Rogers, with the fourth-ranked city home to 7,005 manufacturing jobs. Pine Bluff accounts for 6,690 manufacturing jobs, down 6.7% over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of Arkansas' 3,615 manufacturers and 543 industrial distributors can be found in the 2012 Arkansas Manufacturers Register, available in print for $101 and on CD-ROM from $142. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 13,895 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.