Maryland Industrial Employment Declines 4.8% According to Manufacturers Directory

Maryland Industrial Employment Declines 4.8% According to Manufacturers
Directory

EVANSTON, Ill., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Maryland/DC
fell 4.8% over the past twelve months according to the 2010 Maryland/DC
Manufacturers Directory, an industrial directory published annually by
Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Maryland lost 9,826
industrial jobs and 231 manufacturers between May 2008 and May 2009, the
sharpest decline MNI has ever reported for the state.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070213/MNILOGO)

According to earlier reports by MNI, Maryland suffered a 1.7% loss in
manufacturing employment between 2006 and 2007, and a minimal loss of a half
percent over the 2007-2008 period.

Manufacturers' News reports Maryland and the DC Metro Area is home to 5,214
manufacturers employing 196,336 workers.

"As with the entire nation, the recession continues to affect Maryland's
industrial sector. However, Maryland's educated workforce and stronghold in
the biotech industries should help lay the groundwork for recovery," says Tom
Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been
surveying industry since 1912.

Bright spots over the year include the relocation of Power Electronics from
Delaware to Queen Anne's County, Finnish tech company Environics moving its US
operations to Abington, and several biotech firms such as OpGen Technologies
and BIOMERE, LLC choosing Maryland as their base of operations.

According to the manufacturers directory, printing and publishing is the
state's largest industrial sector, accounting for 40,415 of the state's jobs
or 21% of the state, down 5.8% over the past twelve months, due partially to
the closure of Cadmus Communications, an Easton-based book printer.
Electronics manufacturing accounts for another 23,314 industrial jobs, down
1.5% over the year, following the closure of Power Wave Technologies, among
others. Third-ranked industrial machinery and equipment manufacturing employs
19,219 workers, down 3.3% over the past twelve months.

Losses were reported across most sectors and included rubber & plastics, down
11.3%; paper products down 10.4%; transportation equipment down 10%;
lumber/wood down 10%; textiles/apparel down 7%; chemical products down 5.6%;
stone/clay/glass down 3.6% and primary metals down 2.8%. Employment remained
steady in the furniture/fixtures and fabricated metal sectors, according to
MNI.

Manufacturers' News reports Central Maryland, which includes the District of
Columbia, accounts for the most industrial employment in the region, with
156,181 jobs, or 80%, down 3.8% over the past 12 months. Western Maryland
represents 21,767 of the state's jobs, down 5.2%, while employment in Eastern
Maryland declined 7% and is currently home to 18,388 of the state's workers.

MNI's city data shows Baltimore remains the region's top city for
manufacturing employment with 37,769 industrial workers, down 1,953 jobs or
4.9% over the past 12 months. Washington, DC accounts for 17,725 jobs, down
5.8% or 1,089 from a year ago. Linthicum ranks third in the region with 7,655
industrial workers, with no significant change reported over the year.
Hagerstown saw industrial employment decline 4.5% over the year and currently
accounts for 6,213 jobs, while Frederick accounts for 6,031 jobs, with no
change over the past twelve months.

Detailed profiles of Maryland/DC's 5,214 manufacturers and 979 industrial
distributors can be found in the 2010 Maryland/DC Manufacturers Directory,
available in print for $104 and on CD-ROM from $166. Each profile provides up
to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 13,870
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.

Jennifer Ratcliff of Manufacturers' News, Inc., +1-847-864-9440, ext. 241,
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com