Industrial Directory Reports New Jersey Manufacturing Job Losses Slow

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Industrial employment in New Jersey declined 1.5% over the past year according to the 2013 New Jersey Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports New Jersey lost 6,024 manufacturing jobs from December 2011 to December 2012, slightly less than the 2.1% loss MNI reported for the state over the 2010-2011 survey period.

“However, the state’s educated workforce and its reputation as a center for innovation continue to be a draw for new business.”

Manufacturers’ News reports New Jersey is now home to 9,402 manufacturers employing 391,596 workers.

“Manufacturers in New Jersey have yet to fully recover from the recession, and high business taxes have affected hiring,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, the state’s educated workforce and its reputation as a center for innovation continue to be a draw for new business.”

Several manufacturing companies in New Jersey have announced openings and expansions including Allergan’s plans to open a R&D facility in Bridgewater; the expansion of Tekni-Plex in Flemington; and the opening of Unitex’s textile plant in New Brunswick. In addition, Ferro Corp. expanded production at its South Plainfield plant; Heraeus Precious Metals expanded its Newark factory; and European food products manufacturer Dr. Schar opened its first North American site in Swedesboro.

MNI reports chemicals manufacturing accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 73,597 jobs, and was the only sector to post a gain, up 1.3% over the year. Second-ranked printing/publishing accounts for 43,663 jobs, down 2.8% over the past twelve months. Third-ranked food products represents 36,758 jobs, down 5.1% over the survey period.

Other sectors that lost jobs included transportation equipment, down 7.4%; textiles/apparel, down 3.9%; instruments/related products, down 3.6%; paper products, down 3.1%; electronics, down 2.9%; furniture/fixtures, down 2.3%; rubber/plastics, down 1.8%; and primary metals, down 1.6%.

Losses for the state included the closure of New Brunswick Scientific in Edison, after the biotech company shifted production to Connecticut; the closure of sports equipment maker Sportcraft Ltd, which shuttered its facility in Mount Olive Township; and the closure of Cadent Inc.’s plant in Carlstadt.

According to the industrial directory, Northeast New Jersey accounts for the largest share of the state’s industrial employment with 268,191 manufacturing jobs, down nearly one percent over the year. The Northwest region ranks second at 50,113 manufacturing jobs, down 1.3%. Southwest New Jersey is home to 40,726 industrial jobs, down 3.9%, while the Southeast is home to 32,566 jobs, down 3.3%.

MNI’s city data shows Newark remains New Jersey’s top city for manufacturing employment, with 9,286 jobs, down 3.1% over the past twelve months. Second-ranked Princeton is home to 7,612 jobs, up 1% over the past twelve months. Moorestown accounts for 7,222 industrial jobs, down 2.8%, while industrial jobs in Clifton remained steady over the year with the city home to 6,918 jobs. Industrial employment increased 3.7% in Parsippany, with the fifth-ranked city home to 6,500 of New Jersey’s industrial jobs.

Detailed profiles of New Jersey’s 9,402 manufacturing companies and 1,655 distributors can be found in the 2013 New Jersey Manufacturers Register^® available in print for $145, or available online through MNI’s industrial database subscription service EZSelect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including region, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each business profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information, 32,031 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, and more.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of state industrial directories and manufacturers databases. For 101 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing companies. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour business registrations, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, http://www.manufacturersnews.com.