Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com
EVANSTON, Ill, January 20, 2009/Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Illinois dropped 2.1% over the past twelve months according to the 2009 Illinois Manufacturers Directory, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI (http://www.manufacturersnews.com) reports Illinois lost 19,924 industrial jobs from November 2007 to November 2008, prolonging the downward trend the state has seen over the past several years.
Manufacturers’ News reports Illinois is home to 20,788 manufacturers employing 906,006 workers and ranks 4th in the nation for number of manufacturing jobs.
“As with the entire nation, weakening demand continues to hit many of Illinois’ 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.
Despite the declining numbers, some manufacturers continue to add employees. Increases include an expansion of Jel Sert Company, a food products manufacturer in West Chicago and Siemens, which developed a second plant in Elgin in response to growing demand for its wind turbine gear drives.
Northeastern Illinois accounts for 70% of the state’s jobs, down 2.2% over the year, with 345,182 of these jobs located in Cook County. MNI reports Cook County industrial jobs declined 2.5% over the year. The collar counties saw employment drop over the past year after posting gains in the 06-07 period, with Kane County down 4.4%; Lake County down 2.5%; and DeKalb and Will Counties each down 1%.
Northwest Illinois accounts for 87,530 jobs, down 2.2% over the year. East and West Central Illinois account for a combined 122,473 jobs, with East Central jobs down 1.6% over the year, and employment in West Central Illinois is down 1.1%. Southwest Illinois accounts for 38 ,527 jobs, 4.6% less than a year ago.
Southeast Illinois saw an employment increase for the second year in a row, up 3.5% for a total of 30,517 manufacturing jobs.
According to MNI, industrial machinery and equipment accounts for 143,388 of the state’s jobs, down 2.2% over the year. Fabricated metal products manufacturing accounts for 105,985 of the state’s jobs, down 1% over the year due in part to layoffs at metal component manufacturer Burgess-Norton and at ammunition manufacturer Olin Winchester Corp. Employment in food products manufacturing fell 2.8% following the closure of a Jays Foods facility in Chicago, among others, and currently employs 97,030.
Other sectors losing jobs include primary metals, down 8.8% thanks in part to the closure of diecaster Lunt Manufacturing in Schaumburg. Lumber and wood jobs are down 5%; rubber/miscellaneous plastic products, down 4.3%; and electronics, down 3.6% after layoffs at a Honeywell facility in Freeport. Paper/allied products were down 3.2%; transportation equipment, down another 3.2%; stone/clay/glass, down 2.9%; textiles/apparel, down 2.4%; printing/publishing, down 2.1% and chemicals/allied products, down 1%.
Chicago is home to the most industrial jobs in Illinois, accounting for 124,075 jobs, 3.7% fewer than last year, and ranks 3rd among the nation’s top manufacturing cities for number of industrial jobs. Rockford accounts for 25,094 jobs, down 4%. Elk Grove Village saw jobs jump 1.5% with the third-ranked city home to 23,658 workers. Franklin Park accounts for 13,418 of the state’s jobs, down 7.1%, while Des Plaines is home to 12,077 industrial workers, with employment down 6.6%.
Detailed profiles of Illinois’ 20,788 manufacturers and 32 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Illinois Manufacturers Directory, available in print for $199 and on CD-ROM from $282. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 62,171 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 manufacturer profiles, 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.
