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Georgia Manufacturing Employment Rises 1.6% over Past Year


manufacturing

EVANSTON, IL-July 22, 2013: For the second year in a row, industrial employment in Georgia posted a gain, according to the 2014 Georgia Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Georgia gained 7,769 manufacturing jobs from May 2012 to May 2013, or 1.6% - - more than double the gain MNI reported for the 2011-2012 survey period, and one percentage point above the national average gain as reported by the Labor Department.

“The state's reasonable labor costs and friendly business environment continue to result in many companies investing in its manufacturing sector, particularly those in the auto/transportation equipment industries.”

Manufacturers' News reports Georgia is now home to 9,802 manufacturers employing 481,936 workers.

"Georgia's industrial climate continues to improve," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state's reasonable labor costs and friendly business environment continue to result in many companies investing in its manufacturing sector, particularly those in the auto/transportation equipment industries."

According to MNI, employment in transportation equipment rose 6.2% in Georgia over the survey period and is expected to keep rising, with Kia Motors' continued expansion of its West Point facility and Hitachi's plans to expand operations at its Monroe location. In addition, Inalfla Roof Systems expects to open a vehicle roofing production plant in Cherokee County; auto parts supplier Decostar Industries will expand its facility in Carrollton; Kubota opened a trailer plant in Jefferson; and ZF Industries established a new auto parts plant in Gainesville. Transportation equipment currently employs 40,370 Georgia workers.

Other bright spots for the state included the opening of a Starbucks plant in Augusta and the establishment of FPL Food's beef processing plant in Thomasville.

Food products manufacturing accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 68,692 jobs, up 3.1% over the year. Second-ranked textiles/apparel manufacturing accounts for 55,262 workers, but represents the largest employment decline, down 1.8% over the survey period. Third-ranked industrial machinery and equipment employs 43,877 workers, 2.2% more than a year ago.

Other sectors to gain jobs included instruments/related products, up 6.4%; primary metals, up 2.3%; printing/publishing, up 1.9%; furniture/fixtures, also up 1.9%; chemicals, up 1.5%; and rubber/plastics, up 1.1%. Losses were seen in lumber/wood, down 1.2% and paper products, down a half percent, following the closure of Glit/Microtron's facility in Wrens.

MNI reports Northwest Georgia accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 292,882 jobs, up 2% over the past twelve months. Northeast Georgia accounts for 74,234 jobs, up 1%, while the South Central region accounts for 41,097 jobs, down 1%. The Southeast region is home to 39,973 industrial workers, up 7.6%, and the Southwest accounts for 33,750 jobs, down 1.7%.

MNI's city data shows Atlanta remains Georgia's top city for manufacturing employment, with 58,124 industrial jobs, up 2.2%. Second-ranked Dalton accounts for 21,367 jobs, down 1%, while Norcross accounts for 18,058 jobs, up 4.5%. Fourth-ranked Alpharetta accounts for 16,876 jobs, up 5.1%, while industrial employment in Marietta remained steady over the year, with the fifth-ranked city home to 15,172 jobs.

Detailed profiles of Georgia's 9,802 manufacturing companies and 1,913 distributors can be found in the 2014 Georgia Manufacturers Register available in print for $149, 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, 36,774 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.