South Carolina Industrial Jobs Down 10% Over Twenty-Four Months - October 16, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com
EVANSTON, Ill, October 19th, 2009 /Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in South Carolina fell 10.2% over the past twenty-four months according to the 2010 South Carolina Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports South Carolina lost 30,382 manufacturing jobs over the past two years, with 5,989 jobs lost between August 2007 and August 2008 and 24,393 industrial jobs from 2008 to August of this year.
Manufacturers’ News reports South Carolina is now home to 5,169 manufacturers employing 271,676 workers, compared to a high of 385,000 industrial workers recorded by MNI in 1994. The loss of nearly 25,000 manufacturing jobs over the past twelve months marks the sharpest decline MNI has ever reported in the fourteen years it has been tracking the state’s industry.
“As with the entire nation, the recession continues to hit South Carolina’s core sectors, particularly the textile/apparel industries, 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 lumber & wood sector saw one of the sharpest declines, down 16.6% over the past twenty-four months, and employment in furniture/fixtures saw a 16% drop.
South Carolina’s top manufacturing sector remains industrial machinery & equipment with 37,287 of the state’s industrial jobs, and was the only sector to gain jobs, up 5.3% over the past twenty-four months. Second-ranked textiles/apparel saw the worst drop in employment, down 26% over two years following plant closures at Hanesbrand, Renfro Corp., Blair Mills and Mohawk Industries, among others. Textiles/apparel currently accounts for 30,546 of South Carolina’s industrial jobs. Third-ranked transportation equipment saw a modest loss, down 3.6%, and currently accounts for 26,996 industrial jobs.
All other sectors in South Carolina lost jobs within the past twenty-four months and included primary metals, down 17.7%, stone/clay/glass down 13.7%; paper products down 12.9%; electronics down 11.3%; printing/publishing down 9.2%; food products down 7.9%; rubber/plastics down 7%; fabricated metals down 6.6% and chemicals/allied products down 2.8%.
Despite the losses, some bright spots have emerged recently including the opening of window and door manufacturer Force V Environmental in Laurens County, the planned opening of a Laurens County American Titanium Works facility that will manufacture titanium plates, and the addition of 700 temporary workers at BMW’s Greer plant.
According to the directory, the Northwest region of the state accounts for the largest share South Carolina’s industrial employment with 167,535 manufacturing jobs, down 8.3% over the past twenty-four months. The Northeast region ranks second at 52,155 manufacturing jobs, down 17.8% over two years. The Southeast region of the state is home to 30,093 industrial jobs, down 4.4%, while the Southwest is home to 21,893 jobs, down 10.1%.
MNI’s city data shows Greenville is South Carolina’s top city for manufacturing employment. Greenville is home to 25,509 jobs, with no significant change reported after gaining 5% between 2007 and 2008, but then losing 4.6% over the past twelve months. Second-ranked Spartanburg accounts for 15,594 jobs, with employment down 12.4% over the past two years. Columbia is home to 9,728 industrial jobs, down 14.3% over the two years, while Greer saw no significant change in industrial employment, and is currently home to 9,403 jobs. Anderson has overtaken Charleston as the fifth-ranked city with 9,012 of the state’s jobs, reflecting a 6.1% increase over two years.
Detailed profiles of South Carolina’s 5,169 manufacturers and 842 industrial distributors can be found in the 2010 South Carolina Manufacturers Register, available in print for $104 and on CD-ROM from $163. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 18,985 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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