EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Arkansas fell
7.3% over the past twenty-four months according to the 2010 Arkansas
Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by
Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Arkansas lost 16,587
manufacturing jobs over the past two years, with 3,178 jobs lost between
September 2007 and September 2008 and 13,409 industrial jobs from 2008 to
September of this year.
(Logo : http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070213/MNILOGO)
Manufacturers' News reports Arkansas is now home to 3,860 manufacturers
employing 212,213 workers, compared to a high of 269,815 industrial workers
recorded by MNI in 2001. Manufacturing jobs have declined steadily in the
state since 2001, dropping 57,602 jobs or 21.3%. The loss of nearly 13,407
manufacturing jobs marks the sharpest decline MNI has ever reported in the
fourteen years it has been tracking the state's industry, and represents 23%
of all industrial jobs lost since 2001.
"As with the entire nation, the recession continues to hit Arkansas' core
sectors, while the faltering housing market has affected industries such as
wood products, furniture and building products," says Tom Dubin, President of
the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry
since 1912.
Employment in the furniture/fixtures sector saw one of the sharpest declines,
down 15.9% over the past twenty-four months, following consolidation and
layoffs at Riverside Furniture Corp., among others. Employment in lumber/wood
saw an 11.4% drop.
Arkansas' top manufacturing sector remains food products with nearly a quarter
of the state's industrial employment, or 52,531 jobs, down 4.1% over the past
24 months, due partially to the closures of Pilgrim's Pride and Petit Jean
poultry processing plants. Second-ranked fabricated metal manufacturing
employs 17,998 workers, down 4.2%, while industrial machinery and equipment
employs the third-most in the state with 17,051 workers, down 8.6% over the
past two years.
All other sectors in Arkansas lost jobs within the past twenty-four months and
included transportation equipment down 13.3%; stone/clay/glass down 11.1%;
primary metals down 9.4%; electronics down 8.8%; rubber/plastics down 8.4%;
chemicals/allied products down 8.1%; printing/publishing down 6.8% and paper
products down 4.9%.
Despite the losses, some bright spots have emerged recently including the
shifting of work from a Tennessee Little Debbie plant to Northwest Arkansas,
the planned investment of Mitsubishi Power Systems in a wind turbine factory
to be located in Fort Smith, and India-based Man Industries' planned opening
of a Headquarters and pipe-making facility at the Little Rock Port.
According to the directory, Northwest Arkansas accounts for the largest share
of Arkansas' industrial employment with 117,909 manufacturing jobs, or 55.6%
of the state, down 5.1% over the past twenty-four months. The Northeast region
ranks second at 39,415 manufacturing jobs, down 7.9% over two years. Southwest
Arkansas is home to 35,843 industrial jobs, down 12.3%, while the Southeast is
home to 19,046 jobs, down 8.9%.
MNI's city data shows Fort Smith is Arkansas' top city for manufacturing
employment, with 17,013 jobs, down 11.9% over the past twenty-four months.
Little Rock ranks second with 13,031 jobs, down 4.5% over two years.
Springdale is home to 12,081 industrial jobs, down just a half percent, while
Pine Bluff accounts for 7,147 jobs, down 8.4% over the past twenty-four
months. Jonesboro industrial jobs dropped 7.1%, with the city currently home
to 6,693 jobs.
Detailed profiles of Arkansas' 3,860 manufacturers and 544 industrial
distributors can be found in the 2010 Arkansas Manufacturers Register,
available in print for $96 and on CD-ROM from $142. Each profile provides up
to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 13,970
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
