EVANSTON, Ill., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Mississippi increased by about a half percent over the past twelve months according to the 2012 Mississippi Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Mississippi gained 694 industrial jobs between February 2011 and February 2012.

Manufacturers' News reports Mississippi is now home to 3,019 manufacturers employing 171,615 workers.

"The recovery is gaining momentum in Mississippi 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 friendly business environment has been a draw for a variety of enterprises, particularly in the auto sector."

Bright spots for the state include the planned opening of Toyota's new assembly plant in Blue Springs, which will employ 2,000; Olin Corp.'s establishment of its new ammunition manufacturing facility in Oxford; the opening of Stion's solar panel plant in Hattiesburg; and the expansion of Saf-T-Cart's storage products facility in Clarksdale. Cooper Tire and Rubber Company is expanding its Tupelo facility and SABIC Innovative Plastics opened a new polypropylene plant in Bay St. Louis.

According to MNI, transportation equipment has overtaken food products as the state's largest industrial sector by employment with 24,143 manufacturing jobs, up 3.3% over the past twelve months. Second-ranked food products manufacturing accounts for 22,310 jobs, down 6.9%, following the closure of Forest Packing Company in Forest, among others. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks third with 19,565 jobs, up 4.2%. 

MNI reports other sectors that gained jobs included primary metals, up 12%; rubber/plastics, up 11.8%; and furniture/fixtures, up 1.2%. Losses were seen in printing/publishing, down 5.6%; lumber/wood, also down 5.6%; electronics, down 5.2%; stone/clay/glass, down 4.4%; textiles/apparel, down 3.9%; instruments/related products, down 5.2%; and paper products, down 1.8%.

Industrial locations closing down over the year included Georgia Pacific's sawmill in Columbia and Roseburg Forest Products' site in Louisville.

MNI reports Southeast Mississippi accounts for the most industrial employment in the state, with 58,574 industrial jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months. Northeast Mississippi accounts for 49,307 industrial jobs, up 5.2%. The Southwest region of the state is home to 37,359 industrial workers, down 2.7%, while the Northwest is home to 26,375, down 1.1%. 

Pascagoula remains the state's top city by industrial employment with 14,308 manufacturing jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Laurel saw employment increase 2.6% and is currently home to 7,545 industrial workers. Jackson accounts for 6,317 industrial jobs, down 4.8%, while Tupelo accounts for 5,969 of the state's jobs, down 1.6%. Fifth-ranked Ellisville is home to 4,930 jobs, up a half percent over the past twelve months. 

Detailed profiles of Mississippi's 3,019 manufacturers and 465 distributors can be found in the 2012 Mississippi Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $99, 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), 11,953 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.