Maine Manufacturing Jobs Declined 1.6% in 2014

EVANSTON, Ill.--()--Manufacturers’ News, Inc. -- Maine manufacturing employment declined in 2014, reports the 2015 Maine Manufacturers Register®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI). According to data collected by MNI, Maine manufacturers lost 1,026 jobs or 1.6%, from December 2013 to December 2014, in contrast to the 1.7% national average gain reported by the Labor Department for the same time period.

Manufacturers’ News reports Maine is now home to 2,087 manufacturers employing 62,561 workers.

“High business costs and an aging demographic have made it difficult for Maine manufacturers to climb back from the recession,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s shrinking entry-level workforce creates a shortage of skilled labor to meet the needs of manufacturers.”

Manufacturers’ News reports the paper products industry shed the most jobs, down 18%. Additional losses were reported in textiles/apparel down 6.8%; industrial machinery down 6.7%; primary metals, down 5.9%; fabricated metals, down 4.4%; and printing/publishing, down 3.8%.

The state’s transportation equipment sector was a rare bright spot, with jobs up 2.6%, due largely to Bath Iron Works ramping up production and adding jobs at its shipbuilding site in Bath. The transportation equipment industry currently accounts for the most jobs in the state, with 9,906 workers.

Employment gains were seen also in the lumber/wood processing sector, which ticked up 2.1% and the rubber/plastics industry, also up 2.1%. Employment in food processing remained steady.

For the full story, including company expansions and closures in Maine click here or visit http://www.manufacturersnews.com/news

MNI reports the city of Bath ranks first in the state for industrial employment with 5,680 jobs, up 5.5% in 2014. Manufacturing employment rose 2.8% in Portland, 1.8% in South Portland; and declined 1.8% in Westbrook.

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 allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet 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

Contacts

Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
Jennifer Ratcliff
847-864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com

Release Summary

Industrial database publisher reports Maine factory employment declined 1.6% in 2014 on paper industry losses.

Contacts

Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
Jennifer Ratcliff
847-864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com