Arkansas Loses Fewer Manufacturing Jobs

Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com



EVANSTON, Ill, October 14th, 2008 /Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Arkansas dropped 1.4% over the past twelve months according to the 2009 Arkansas Manufacturers Register, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. The manufacturers guide reports Arkansas lost 3,178 industrial jobs from August 2007 to August 2008, roughly half the losses MNI reported for the state over the 2006-2007 survey period.

According to previous surveys by MNI, Arkansas saw a 3% drop in manufacturing employment between August 2005 to August 2006, and then lost another 2.9% or 6,886 jobs over the 2006-2007 period.

Manufacturers’ News reports Arkansas is home to 4,009 manufacturers employing 225,622 workers, Arkansas’ job losses fall in the middle when compared to those of its neighbors, with Missouri’s industrial jobs down 3%, Mississippi’s down 2.7%, and employment steady in Louisiana and Oklahoma, according to earlier MNI reports.

“Outsourcing, consolidation and automation have taken their toll on manufacturing employment.” Says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, Arkansas’ stronghold in the food products sector should help the state retain industrial facilities.”

Recent government reports indicate Arkansas’ exports have increased by 65% since 2003, with transportation equipment and processed food items among the state’s top exports. According to the 2009 industrial directory, food products manufacturing accounts for 24% of the state’s industrial employment or 54,307 jobs, up 578 or 1.1% over the year, due in part to Tyson’s expansion of its Springdale chicken processing plant. Second-ranked fabricated metal manufacturing saw employment increase by 2.7% and currently accounts for 18,444 industrial jobs in Arkansas. Gains were also seen in chemicals and allied products, up 2.2%, while employment remained stable in electronics and printing/publishing.

MNI reports employment in the transportation equipment sector fell 6.5%, following the closure of Batesville GDX Automotive, among others. Other sectors losing employment include paper and allied products, down 3.8%; rubber/miscellaneous plastics, down 2.6%; lumber/wood, down 2.4%; textiles/apparel, down 2.2%; and furniture/fixtures, down 2.1%.

According to MNI, the Northwest region of the state accounts for 123,721 of Arkansas’ industrial jobs or 55% of the state, down a half percent over the year. The Northeast region is home to 42,157 industrial jobs, down 1.3% over the past twelve months, while the Southwest saw employment decrease by 3.3% and is currently home to 39,442 industrial workers. Southeast Arkansas represents 20,304 of the state’s jobs, down 2.5% over the survey period.

MNI’s city data shows Fort Smith manufacturers employ the most Arkansas workers at 18,510 of the state’s jobs, down 4.2% over the year, partially thanks to layoffs at the city’s Whirlpool facility. Little Rock accounts for 13,777 of Arkansas’ jobs, up 1% over the year. Springdale is home to 12,272 industrial workers, with jobs up 1.1% over the year, while fourth-ranked Pine Bluff accounts for 7,383 of the state’s jobs, down 5.4% over the year. Jonesboro saw jobs increase by 1.2% and is currently home to 7,292 industrial workers.

Detailed profiles of Arkansas’ 4,009 manufacturers and 448 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Arkansas Manufacturers Register, available in print for $93 and on CD-ROM from $137. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), names and titles of 13,517 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.