Connecticut Manufacturers Report 1.3% Employment Loss According To State Industrial Directory

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




EVANSTON, Ill, July 17, 2008/Manufacturers’ News, Inc./-- Industrial employment in Connecticut dropped 1.3% over the past 12 months according to the 2009 Connecticut Manufacturers Register, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. The Register reports Connecticut lost 3,036 industrial jobs from May 2007 to May 2008, continuing the gradual decline the state has seen since 2001, but still running ahead of the 2.6% loss suffered by the U.S. as a whole over the same time period.

“As with the entire nation, Connecticut’s industrial employment is suffering due to automation, mergers and consolidation,” says Tom Dubin, President of MNI. “But as wages in developing countries increase and fuel costs cut into freight-sensitive goods, some manufacturers are bringing production back home.”

Manufacturers’ News reports Connecticut is home to 6,033 manufacturers employing 229,866 workers, and ranks second in New England for number of manufacturers and related jobs. Connecticut’s losses are in line with other New England states, with Maine’s industrial employment down 2.1%, Vermont’s down 1.9% and New Hampshire’s, 1.6%. MNI profiles manufacturers of all sizes, including small, start-up companies with just a few employees.

According to the 2009 Register, the transportation equipment sector accounts for the most industrial employment in the state, representing 41,203 jobs, with 69% of these workers employed in the manufacturing of aircraft and related parts. MNI reports 6% of U.S. aircraft and parts manufacturers are located in Connecticut. Employment in the transportation sector is up 1.1% over the year, according to MNI.

Metal fabricating accounts for 30,833 jobs, with employment down 1% over the past twelve months. Third-ranked industrial machinery and equipment accounts for 29,101 of the state’s jobs, up slightly over the year due to Trumph, Inc.’s expansion of its Farmington-based laser building facility.

Other sectors losing jobs include food products manufacturing, down 7.8% after Hershey Co. closed its Peter Paul candy making facility in Naugatuck. Paper and allied products were down 2.4% and chemical and allied products shrank 13% after Bayer Corp. shut down its New Haven pharmaceutical site. Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products lost 2.5%, while employment in electronics manufacturing was down a half percent. Gains were seen in printing and publishing, up 2.1% over the year, while textiles and apparel manufacturing remained steady, currently accounting for 3,743 of the state’s industrial jobs.

According to MNI, Hartford, Fairfield and New Haven Counties account for 78% of the state’s manufacturing employment or 176,523 jobs. Hartford County is home to 68,174 jobs, down a half percent over the year, while Fairfield County accounts for 58,166 of the state’s jobs, down 3.7%. New Haven County’s jobs are down 2.2% with the county currently home to 50,183 industrial workers.

MNI’s city data shows Stratford manufacturers employ the most Connecticut workers at 10,840 of the state’s jobs, down 1.7% over the year. Groton ranks second in the state with 8,925 jobs, up a half percent, while third-ranked Danbury is home to 8,160 industrial workers, down 1.6% over the past twelve months. Stamford accounts for 6,909 jobs, down 6.2% over the year, while Norwalk is down 7.2% and currently represents 6,709 jobs.

Detailed profiles of Connecticut’s 6,033 manufacturers and 731 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Connecticut Manufacturers Register, available in print for $102 and on CD-ROM from $160. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), names and titles of 17,160 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.