Industrial Guide Reports New Jersey Manufacturing Jobs Declined 2.1%

EVANSTON, Ill., March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in New Jersey declined 2.1% over the past year according to the 2012 New Jersey Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports New Jersey lost 8,910 manufacturing jobs from December 2010 to December 2011, slightly less than the 3.3% loss MNI reported for the state over the 2009-2010 survey period.

Manufacturers' News reports New Jersey is now home to 9,533 manufacturers employing 402,005 workers.

"New Jersey has some of the highest business taxes in the nation, and the state continues to be affected by the fallout from 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, losses definitely have slowed, and the state's educated workforce, investments in innovative technologies, and its access to capital remain a draw for a variety of enterprises."

Bright spots for the state included the opening of Rollon Corp.'s new facility in Hackettstown; the opening of ready-mix concrete plant Flemington Concrete Products in Raritan Township; the establishment of a new Manischewitz food processing plant and headquarters in Newark; and the opening of American By-Products Recyclers new biodiesel facility in Hillsborough.

MNI reports the chemicals manufacturing sector accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 72,808 jobs, down 2.3% over the year. Second-ranked printing/publishing accounts for 46,361 jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months. Third-ranked food products represents 38,745 jobs, and was one of the only sectors to gain jobs, up 1.5% over the survey period. 

Other sectors that lost jobs included furniture/fixtures, down 10.1%; lumber/wood, down 6.2%; and electronics, down 4.7%, following the closure of Sony DADC's Pittman plant and layoffs at L-3 Communications Systems in Camden, among others. Paper products declined 4%, due partially to layoffs at President Container Group, while stone/clay/glass declined 3.8%; industrial machinery and equipment fell 3.5%; and textiles/apparel dropped 2.9%.

According to the industrial directory, Northeast New Jersey accounts for the largest share of the state's industrial employment with 274,399 manufacturing jobs, down 1.6% over the year. The Northwest region ranks second at 50,997 manufacturing jobs, down 2.8%. Southwest New Jersey is home to 42,925 industrial jobs, down 3.4%, while the Southeast is home to 33,684 jobs, down 2.2%.

MNI's city data shows Newark remains New Jersey's top city for manufacturing employment, with 10,884 jobs, down 2.1% over the past twelve months. Second-ranked Princeton is home to 7,532 jobs, up 7.2% over the past twelve months. Moorestown accounts for 7,431 industrial jobs, down 4%, while industrial jobs in Clifton remained steady over the year with the city home to 6,905 jobs. Industrial employment increased 1.7% in Pennsauken, with the fifth-ranked city home to 6,401 of New Jersey's industrial jobs.

Detailed profiles of New Jersey's 9,533 manufacturers and 1,664 distributors can be found in the 2012 New Jersey Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $144, 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), 31,857 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.