Industrial Directory Reports Virginia Lost Fewer Manufacturing Jobs
EVANSTON, Ill., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Virginia fell 2.2% over the past twelve months according to the 2011 Virginia Manufacturers Directory®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Virginia lost 7,707 industrial jobs between October 2009 and October 2010, about a third of the loss MNI reported over the 2008-2009 survey period.
Manufacturers' News reports Virginia is now home to 6,596 manufacturers employing 336,333 workers.
"Virginia's industrial sectors continue to be battered 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, we're definitely seeing fewer job losses than we did a year ago and new manufacturing facilities continue to emerge."
Transportation equipment manufacturing ranks as Virginia's top sector by employment with 36,054 jobs, up 1.5% over the year. Second-ranked food products accounts for 33,597 jobs, down 7.9% after the closures of Smithfield Food's pork plant and Krispy Kreme's Lorton plant, among others. Printing and publishing is the state's third-largest sector by employment with 32,319 jobs, down 5.6%.
Most industrial sectors in Virginia lost jobs within the past year and included furniture/fixtures, down 14.5%, due partially to the closure of Thomasville Furniture's Appomattox plant, and layoffs at Stanley Furniture, among others. Textiles/apparel declined 12%; chemicals fell 10.2%; primary metals were down 6.2%; fabricated metals down 5.4%; lumber/wood down 5.2%; paper products down 5.1%; rubber/plastics down 3.7% and industrial machinery and equipment down 3.6%.
Bright spots for the state included the opening of several new plants such as Praxair's gas manufacturing plant in Hopewell; snack dip company Sabra's new Colonial Heights facility and Kimball International's plant in Martinsville. Companies planning expansions included Dove Vinyl Windows; Guardian Industries; chemical manufacturer Ashland Inc; and Polymer Group, Inc.
MNI's city data shows Richmond is Virginia's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 31,051 jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Second-ranked Newport News also saw little change in employment and currently accounts for 26,019 jobs. Industrial employment in Roanoke declined 2% over the year and is currently home to 12,529 industrial workers. Norfolk accounts for 10,763 industrial jobs, down 8.7% over the year while Virginia Beach accounts for 9,460 jobs, up 1.9%.
Detailed profiles of Virginia's 6,596 manufacturers and 1,161 industrial distributors can be found in the 2011 Virginia Manufacturers Directory®, available in print for $112 and on CD-ROM from $188. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 24,430 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.
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