EVANSTON, IL--July 31, 2013: For the third year in a row, industrial employment in North Dakota posted a gain, according to the 2014 North Dakota Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports North Dakota gained 1,734 manufacturing jobs from May 2012 to May 2013, or 4% - - 3.5 percentage points above the national average gain as reported by the Labor Department.
“The state's winning mix of low business costs, an educated workforce, and abundant natural resources has resulted in many companies investing in its industrial sector, particularly those in the oil and gas industries.”
Manufacturers' News reports North Dakota is now home to 1,248 manufacturers employing 44,311 workers.
"North Dakota industry continues to grow," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "The state's winning mix of low business costs, an educated workforce, and abundant natural resources has resulted in many companies investing in its industrial sector, particularly those in the oil and gas industries."
According to MNI, employment in oil and gas extraction rose 14.6% in North Dakota over the survey period, and over the course of two years, grew from the state's fourth-largest sector in terms of industrial employment to the second largest, with jobs more than doubling in response to the Bakken Shale oil boom. Oil and gas extraction currently employs 8,156 North Dakota workers, or 18% of the state's total industrial workforce.
Industrial machinery and equipment accounts for the most manufacturing employment in the state, employing 8,414 workers, with no significant change over the year.
Manufacturers' News reports industrial employment gains in North Dakota were seen in most sectors, and included fabricated metals, up 7.4%; chemicals, up 6%; instruments/related products, up 4%; stone/clay/glass, up 3.9%; transportation equipment, up 3.6%; rubber/plastics, up 2.6%; and electronics, also up 2.6%.
Bright spots for the state included Carbontec Energy Corp's plans to open an iron plant in Jamestown and the recent expansion of Cirrus Aircraft's factory in Grand Forks. In addition, energy firm Oneok announced plans to open a gas processing plant in Williston; John Deere expanded its plants in Fargo and Valley City; Minn-Dak Farmers expanded a beet-processing facility in Wahpeton; and the previously-shuttered Noodles by Leonardo pasta factory recently re-opened under the name of Cando Pasta.
Losses were seen in furniture/fixtures, down 2.2%; lumber/wood, down 2%; and printing/publishing, down 1.9%. Industrial locations announcing closures included DMI Industries, which shuttered it wind tower plant in West Fargo.
Manufacturers' News reports the Southeast region of the state accounts for the most industrial employment with 22,152 jobs, up 3.9% over the past twelve months. The Northwest region accounts for 10,678 jobs, up 11.5%, while the Southwest accounts for 6,071 jobs, down 3%. The Northeast is home to 5,410 industrial workers, with no significant change from a year ago.
MNI's city data shows Fargo remains North Dakota's top city for manufacturing employment, with 9,880 industrial jobs, up 1.2%. Second-ranked Williston accounts for 6,242 jobs, up 3.5%, while Grand Forks is home to 2,742 industrial workers, up 1.2%. Manufacturing jobs in West Fargo rose 1.1%, with the fourth-ranked city home to 2,641 workers, while fifth-ranked Dickinson saw jobs rise 6%, and currently accounts for 2,491 North Dakota manufacturing jobs.
Detailed profiles of North Dakota's 1,248 manufacturing companies and 385 distributors can be found in the 2014 North Dakota Manufacturers Register available in print for $79, 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.
