By Manufacturers' News, Inc.-- For a second straight year industrial employment in Idaho posted a gain, according to the 2014 Idaho Manufacturers Directory®, an industrial directory and database published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. The report, based on data collected by Manufacturers' News, states Idaho gained 1,974 manufacturing jobs from October 2012 to October 2013, or 2.6%, outpacing last year's gain of 1.5%, and 2% higher than the national average gain as reported by the Labor Department for the same time period.
Manufacturers' News reports Idaho is now home to 2,114 manufacturers employing 75,758 workers.
"Following the recession's severe losses, Idaho manufacturing employment is beginning to bounce back," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state maintains a winning mix of abundant natural resources, educated workforce, and low business costs, resulting in many companies reinvesting in its manufacturing sector, particularly those in the food products sector."
According to the database of Idaho manufacturers, food products has overtaken industrial machinery as the state's top sector by manufacturing employment, with 16,288 industrial jobs, up 5.4% over the year. Several food manufacturers opened new facilities in Idaho over the year, most notably Chobani, which established the world's largest yogurt plant in Twin Falls. In addition, Golden Valley Natural opened a meat processing plant in Shelley; McCain Foods announced an expansion of its potato plant in Burley; snack maker Clif Bar announced plans to open a factory in Twin Falls; and Portuguese manufacturer FRULACT opened its first fruit processing plant in Rupert.
Idaho's next two largest sectors also reported gains, with industrial machinery and equipment up 2%, currently accounting for 15,918 jobs, and lumber/wood, up 3.2%, currently employing 8,879. Other gains included electronics, up 9.6%; furniture/fixtures, up 9.4%; transportation equipment, up 8.7% and fabricated metals, up 5.3%.
Employment losses were seen in rubber/plastics, down 4.9%; chemicals, down 4.6%; and printing/publishing, down 2.3%. Locations in Idaho announcing closures included frozen dough maker Rhodes Bake-N-Serv in Caldwell.
According to Manufacturers' News, Southwest Idaho accounts for over half of the state's industrial employment with 42,237 manufacturing jobs, up 3.8% from a year ago. Southeast Idaho is home to 17,510 industrial jobs, down 1.9%, while Northern Idaho is home to 15,178 jobs, up 5.3%.
MNI reports Idaho's top cities by number of manufacturing jobs all posted gains over the year, including Twin Falls, which saw a 37% increase in employment following the Chobani opening, among others. Twin Falls currently accounts for 3,643 industrial workers, making it the fourth in the state for manufacturing employment. Boise remains the state's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 22,027 jobs, up a half percent over the past year. Nampa ranks second with 6,094 jobs, up 4.8%; Idaho Falls ranks third with 4,573 jobs, up 6.6%; and Lewiston ranks fifth with 3,207, up 9.9%.
Detailed profiles of Idaho's 2,115 manufacturing companies and 352 distributors can be found in the 2014 Idaho Manufacturers Directory® available in print for $89, 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, 7,356 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, and the industrial search engine IndustryNet.com. 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.
Manufacturers? News, Inc.
Jennifer Ratcliff, (847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com
