Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com
EVANSTON, Ill, February 23, 2009/Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Hawaii dropped 2.2% over the past twelve months according to the 2009 Hawaii Manufacturers Directory, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI (http://www.manufacturersnews.com) reports Hawaii lost 569 industrial jobs from December 2007 to December 2008.
Manufacturers’ News reports Hawaii is home to 1,211 manufacturers employing 24,911 workers. MNI profiles manufacturers of all sizes, including small, start-up companies with just a few employees.
“As with the entire nation, Hawaii’s industrial employment is suffering due to stagnating demand and weaker exports,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912.
According to MNI, nearly 40% of Hawaii’s industrial employment is concentrated in the food products sector, with 9,688 jobs, down 1.3% over the year, due partially to continuing layoffs at Gay and Robinson Inc.’s sugar plant, among others. Printing and publishing ranks as the state’s second largest sector by employment, currently accounting for 4,035 jobs, with no significant change reported over the past twelve months. Textiles/apparel accounts for another 2,544 jobs, down 5.3% in 2008.
Other sectors losing jobs include paper/allied products, down 39%, following the closure of a Weyerhaeuser packaging facility in Honolulu. Chemicals and allied products were down 3.1%; primary metals, down 2.8% and lumber/wood, down 1.6%. Sectors gaining jobs include fabricated metal products, up 14.2%; stone, clay and glass, up 6.8%; transportation equipment, up 6.7%; industrial machinery and equipment, up 6.6% and furniture and fixtures, up 4%.
Oahu is home to the most industrial employment in Hawaii, accounting for 19,551 jobs or 78% of the state, with 72% of these jobs located in Honolulu. MNI reports Oahu employment is down 1.8% over the year. The Big Island accounts for the second most jobs in the state at 2,457 jobs, with employment down 9.8% over the year. Maui is home to 1,161 of the state’s manufacturing jobs, up 4.1% since December 2007, while Kauai accounts for 74, down 3.6% over the year.
Honolulu is home to 14,090 industrial jobs, down 2% over the year. Kapolei accounts for 2,391 jobs, up 1% since December 2008. Aiea saw employment increase 5.7% and is currently home to 1,111 industrial workers, while Waipahu accounts for 1,088 of the state’s jobs, down 10% over the year. Puunene jobs are up 1%, with the fifth-ranked city home to 971 workers.
Detailed profiles of Hawaii’s 1,211 manufacturers and 415 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Hawaii Manufacturers Directory, available in print for $74 and on CD-ROM from $90. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 3,654 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 profiles of manufacturers, 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.
