Arkansas Manufacturing Employment Declined 1% in the Past Year

December 8, 2015 | By Business Wire News

EVANSTON, Ill.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc.– Manufacturing employment in Arkansas declined slightly over the past year, reports the 2016 Arkansas Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI’s database of manufacturers, Arkansas shed 1,354 industrial jobs from 2014 to September 2015, or 1%, continuing the downward slide the state has experienced since the recession.

MNI reports Arkansas lost about 14% of its industrial employment between September 2007 and September 2013. MNI’s 2013-2014 survey showed a slight gain of 645 jobs, but its industrial employment dipped again over the past year. The state is now home to 3,291 manufacturers employing 192,456 workers.

“While many states have seen strong post-recession growth, Arkansas has struggled to come back from the downturn,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “Although the state’s low cost of doing business and abundant natural resources has appealed to many companies, a shortage of skilled workers as well as a stronger dollar has put a dent in growth.”

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Growth stalled over the year in food processing, the state’s top sector by manufacturing jobs. The food processing industry currently employs 49,577 in Arkansas.

Employment in most other Arkansas industries reported losses, according to MNI, with jobs in furniture/fixtures down 14%; instruments/related products down 11%; fabricated metals, down 5.3%; chemicals, down 4.1%; paper products, down 2.7%; stone/clay/glass, down 2.2%.

Gains were reported in the rubber/plastics industry, up 5.5%, industrial machinery, up 2.1%, and primary metals, up 1.5%.

Manufacturing jobs in Springdale declined 2.5%, and declined 1.8% in Little Rock.

Established in 1912, Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of industrial information. MNI offers a variety of tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers. MNI’s industrial database subscription service EZ Select (www.ezselect.com) allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet (www.industrynet.com) connects buyers and suppliers and allows users to view profiles and obtain competitive quotes. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc. 847-864-7000. http://www.manufacturersnews.com