Iowa Industrial Jobs Down 1.5% In 2008 According To State Manufacturers Directory - March 13, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com
EVANSTON, Ill, March 16, 2009/Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Iowa fell 1.5% over the past twelve months according to the 2009 Iowa Manufacturers Register, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI (http://www.manufacturersnews.com) reports Iowa lost 4,319 industrial jobs from January 2008 to January 2009.
Manufacturers’ News reports Iowa is home to 5,921 manufacturers employing 283,659 workers. MNI profiles manufacturers of all sizes, including small, start-up companies with just a few employees.
“As with the entire nation, weakening demand continues to hit many of Iowa’s 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.
Among the companies suffering from the downturn in the housing market include Pella Corporation, which closed its Story City window and door manufacturing facility, Omega Cabinetry, which saw layoffs at its Waterloo plant, and furniture manufacturer HNI Corp. which suffered layoffs at its Muscatine plant.
According to MNI, employment remained unchanged in Iowa’s three largest industries. Food products manufacturing is the state’s largest sector, with 59,397 of the state’s jobs. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 49,491 manufacturing jobs, while third-ranked fabricated metal products account for 23,876.
Job losses were seen in most other sectors with transportation equipment taking the largest hit, suffering a 13.4% decline after continuing layoffs at Winnebago Industries, among others. Other sectors to lose jobs include stone, clay and glass down 6.2%; furniture/fixtures down 6.1%; lumber/wood down another 6.1%; rubber/miscellaneous plastics down 4.3%; primary metals down 2.7%; textiles/apparel down 2.5% and printing/publishing down 2.2%.
No significant change was reported for the electronics and chemicals sectors. Electronics employment was partially steadied by the expansion of Emerson Process Management’s control valve research facility in Marshalltown. Employment in the chemicals sector remained constant thanks to the opening of a VeraSun ethanol biorefinery in Hartley, among others.
MNI’s six-section geographical breakdown indicates the majority of industrial job losses occurred in the eastern half of the state. Northeast Iowa saw employment decline 7.4%, with the region currently accounting for 25,650 jobs, while employment in Iowa’s Central East region dropped 2.9% in 2008 and is currently home to 98,918 industrial workers. Southeast Iowa represents 61,532 of the state’s manufacturing jobs, with employment up 1% over the past year.
The Central West region of Iowa accounts for 55,560 of the state’s industrial jobs and the Northwest is home to 25,126, with no significant change reported for either region in 2008. Southwest Iowa is home to 16,873 jobs, up 1.9% over the past year.
MNI’s city data indicates Cedar Rapids is home to the most industrial jobs in Iowa, accounting for 20,226 jobs, up a half percent over the year. Des Moines accounts for 17,743 jobs, down 5.3% over the year. Industrial jobs in Waterloo have dropped 5.7% in 2008 with the region accounting for 14,114 jobs. Fourth-ranked Davenport accounts for 9,231 of the state’s jobs, down 2.3%, while Sioux City is on of the few to see employment increase, up 3.1% over the year, and currently represents 9,061 jobs.
Detailed profiles of Iowa’s 5,921 manufacturers and 650 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Iowa Manufacturers Register, available in print for $106 and on CD-ROM from $170. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 20,401 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.
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