Louisiana Industrial Employment Growth Stagnates

July 28, 2015 | By Business Wire News

EVANSTON, Ill.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. — After posting three straight years of manufacturing employment growth, Louisiana industrial jobs dipped slightly in the past year, according to the 2015 Louisiana Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. Data collected by MNI shows Louisiana lost 1,223 manufacturing jobs from May 2014 to May 2015, about a half percent.

Manufacturers’ News reports industrial employment in Louisiana grew grew 4% between May 2011 and May 2014. The Pelican state is now home to 5,097 manufacturers employing 194,596 workers.

“Louisiana has one of the most business-friendly environments in the nation and is rich in natural resources,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, the decline in oil prices has affected the all-important oil and gas sector.”

Manufacturers’ News reports job losses were largely due to the struggling oil/gas industry. Employment in oil/gas extraction shot up 38% from May 2011 to May 2014, according to MNI data, but fell 1.3% over this year’s survey period. The oil/gas industry currently ranks first in the state for industrial employment, with 25,934 workers.

Other losses were seen in stone/clay/glass, down 6.5%; primary metals, down 2.7%; paper products, down 2.4%; and food products, down 1.5%; and petroleum products, down 1%.

Losses in those sectors were offset by gains in the state’s all-important chemicals industry, which inched up 1% in the past year. Other gains were seen in textiles/apparel, up 3.8%; medical instruments/related products, up 3%; and fabricated metals, up 1.9%.

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MNI reports industrial jobs fell 2.6% in Baton Rouge; 1.1% in Houma; and a half percent in New Orleans.

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