South Carolina's Industrial Employment Declined 1.5% Over Past Year
EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in South Carolina fell 1.5% over the past twelve months according to the 2012 South Carolina Manufacturers Register®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports South Carolina lost 4,055 manufacturing jobs over the past year, about half the 8,474 jobs MNI reported the state lost over the 2009-2010 survey period.
"The recovery is gaining momentum in South Carolina 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 solid infrastructure have been a draw for a variety of enterprises."
Bright spots for the state included Caterpillar's planned expansion of its Newberry County facility; the opening of Boeing's new plant in Charleston; the expected expansion of Dillon Furniture in Dillon County; Bridgestone Americas expansion of its tire plant in Aiken County; Daniel Defense Inc.'s announcement that it plans a new firearms plant in Jasper County; and the expansion of automotive supplier YH America LLC's facility in Pickens County.
Manufacturers' News reports South Carolina is now home to 4,938 manufacturers employing 256,469 workers.
MNI reports industrial machinery remains the state's largest manufacturing sector by employment with 34,647 jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago. Second-ranked textiles/apparel increased employment for the first time in several years, up 1%, and currently accounts for 27,421 jobs. Transportation equipment employs the third most at 26,370 jobs, up 4.4%.
Sectors that lost jobs over the year included furniture/fixtures, down 13%; printing/publishing, down 7%; stone/clay/glass down 6.6%; lumber/wood, down 5.2%; food products, down 4.7%; and fabricated metals down 3.6%. Gains were seen in chemicals, up 3.6%; primary metals, up 3.1% and instruments/related products, up 3%.
Losses for the state included layoffs at Kohler Co.'s Spartanburg County facility; layoffs at Lockheed Martin's Greenville plant; the closure of an Allied Air Enterprises location in Blackville; Firestone Building Products' shuttering of its Kingstree plant; and the closure of MCA Media in Graniteville, which shut its doors after being open for less than a year.
According to the Register, South Carolina's Northwest region accounts for the largest share of industrial employment with 163,026 manufacturing jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago. The Northeast region ranks second at 44,328 manufacturing jobs, down 6.7% over the year. The Southeast region of the state is home to 29,524 industrial jobs, up 1.6%, while the Southwest is home to 19,591 jobs, down 5.4%.
MNI data shows Greenville is South Carolina's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 22,770 jobs, down 3.9% over the past year. Second-ranked Spartanburg accounts for 14,776 jobs, with employment down 1.7%. Greer is home to 9,621 industrial jobs, virtually unchanged over the past year, while jobs were also unchanged in Columbia, with the fourth-ranked city home to 9,597 manufacturing jobs. Anderson accounts for 9,105 manufacturing jobs, up 1% over the past twelve months.
Detailed profiles of South Carolina's 4,938 manufacturers and 844 industrial distributors can be found in the 2012 South Carolina Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $109 and on CD-ROM from $163. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 19,061 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.
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