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California Lost 42,000 Industrial Jobs According to Industrial Directory

Posted on: Wednesday, 8 April 2009, 11:15 CDT

EVANSTON, Ill., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in California fell 2.5% over the past twelve months according to the 2009 Directory of California Manufacturers, an industrial guide published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI), Evanston, IL. MNI reports California lost 41,835 industrial jobs and 494 manufacturers from February 2008 to February 2009, the steepest loss the state has seen in several years.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070213/MNILOGO)

Manufacturers' News reports California is home to 26,376 manufacturers employing 1,609,929 workers and ranks first in the nation for number of manufacturers and related jobs. MNI profiles companies of all sizes including start-up companies with just a few employees. 35% of manufacturers closing down in 2008 employed five or fewer employees, according to MNI.

"As with the entire nation, weakening demand continues to hit many of California'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.

Employment in the wood products sector alone saw one of the worst drops in employment, down 9.3% in 2008, following closures of lumber mills such as Harwood Products and layoffs at Humboldt Redwood Co, among others. Employment in the furniture sector was down 7.7%, according to MNI.

Job losses were seen across all sectors in 2008 and included rubber/miscellaneous plastics down 6.7%; stone/clay/glass down 6.1% and printing/publishing fell 6%, due partially to the closure of a Shutterfly facility in Hayward. Textiles/apparel dropped 5.2%; paper/allied products were down 5%; transportation equipment down 2.5%; chemicals down 2.3% and fabricated metals down 2.3%.

Third-ranked food products lost the fewest jobs over the year, down 1.3% with losses offset by gains at Ready Pac Produce and the opening of meatpacker Cutting Edge Meat, among others. The food products sector currently represents 165,572 of the state's jobs.

According to MNI, electronics manufacturing remains California's largest industrial sector by employment, with 255,708 of the state's jobs, with employment in this sector down 3.4% over last year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 189,245 jobs, down 3.8% in 2008.

Manufacturers' News reports Southern California accounts for 63% of the state's industrial employment, or 1,020,477 jobs, down 30,207 or 2.9% over the year. Northern California accounts for 589,790 of the state's industrial jobs, down 11,628 jobs or 1.9% over the past twelve months.

MNI's city data shows Los Angeles' national ranking slipped from the 4th largest city in the US by industrial employment one year ago to the 5th largest city in the latest survey, after a loss of 7,173 manufacturing jobs in 2008. Los Angeles currently accounts for 90,671 industrial jobs.

San Diego accounts for 73,928 jobs, down 3.8% over the past year. Industrial jobs in San Jose have dropped 3%, with the city home to 57,835 jobs. Fourth-ranked Irvine accounts for 40,066 of the state's jobs, down 1.7%, while Santa Clara is home to 38,436 industrial workers, with employment down 1%, according to MNI.

Detailed profiles of California's 26,376 manufacturers and 2,264 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Directory of California Manufacturers, available in print for $209 and on CD-ROM from $329. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 75,506 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.

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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