Maine Industrial Jobs Have Declined 7.7% Since Start Of Recession

EVANSTON, Ill., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- /Manufacturers' News, Inc./ -- Industrial employment in Maine has fallen 7.7% since the beginning of the recession according to the 2010 Maine Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Maine lost 5,956 manufacturing jobs since December 2007, with 1,134 jobs lost between December 2007 and December 2008 and 4,821 industrial jobs from 2008 to December of 2009. Over the same period of time, Maine lost 200 manufacturers.

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Manufacturers' News reports Maine is now home to 2,382 manufacturers employing 71,415 workers, compared to 97,509 industrial workers recorded by MNI a decade ago.

"As with the entire nation, the recession continues to hit Maine's core sectors, while the faltering housing market has affected industries such as wood products and building products," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912.

Employment in the lumber/wood sector experienced the sharpest decline, down 16.8% over the past twenty-four months, following closures at American Pride, Wood Structures, Inc. and Irving Forest Products, among others. As a result, food products manufacturing has overtaken lumber/wood as the state's second-largest industrial sector. The lumber/wood sector currently accounts for 7,601 jobs.

MNI reports transportation equipment remains Maine's largest manufacturing sector by employment with 9,710 jobs, down 8.7% over two years. Second-ranked food manufacturing accounts for 7,907 jobs, down 2.5% over the survey period.  

Most other sectors in Maine lost jobs within the past twenty-four months and include printing/publishing down 14.8%; furniture/fixtures down 14.6%; chemicals/allied products down 12.8%; textiles/apparel down 10.5%; paper products down 8.9%; primary metals down 4.6%; electronics down 3.8% and industrial machinery and equipment down 2.2%.  

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Despite the losses, some bright spots have emerged in the past twenty-four months including the opening of GPX International Tire Corporation in Gorham, and the expansions of Kenway Corp, Titan Machine Products, and Old Town Canoes.  

MNI's city data shows Bath has overtaken Portland as Maine's top city for manufacturing employment, with its 5,098 industrial jobs virtually unchanged over the past twenty-four months. Second-ranked Portland accounts for 5,096 industrial jobs, down 4% over the past two years. Industrial jobs in Auburn declined 5.2%, with the city home to 3,924 jobs. Westbrook is home to 2,873 jobs, with no significant change reported, while jobs declined 5.7% in Lewiston, with the fifth-ranked city representing 2,693 of Maine's industrial jobs.

Detailed profiles of Maine's 2,382 manufacturers and 523 industrial distributors can be found in the 2010 Maine Manufacturers Register, available in print for $87 and on CD-ROM from $119. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 7,457 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.

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.