Maryland Industrial Employment Declines 4.8% According To Manufacturers Directory - July 6, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (847) 864-9440 ext. 241 jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com
EVANSTON, Ill, July 6, 2009/Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- 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.
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.
"Our company has added at least a half dozen new customers. We can reasonably expect to see 10% or better growth in the long term as result of information in MNI." David Richardson, Quality Engineering/Sales, AMG, Inc. - Lynchburg, VA
