Manufacturers’ News, Inc.–Industrial employment in Montana posted a slight gain over the past year, reports the 2015 Montana Manufacturers Directory^®, a manufacturers database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI). According to data collected by MNI, Montana manufacturers added 123 jobs, or about a half percent, from August 2013 to August 2014, its third year of gains, though less than the 1.3% national average gain as reported by the Labor Department for the same time period.

Manufacturers’ News reports Montana is now home to 1,778 manufacturers employing 29,388 workers.

“Manufacturers in Montana are making gains across a variety of sectors,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s low business costs and abundant natural resources continue to draw investment and support industrial growth.”

According to the database of Montana manufacturers, gains were led by the food products industry, which posted a 5.7% employment increase. Food products manufacturing is Montana’s third-largest sector by employment, with 2,714 workers.

Other manufacturing sectors adding jobs in Montana include transportation equipment, up 15.2%; chemicals, up 7.4%; and oil/gas extraction up 4.7%. Losses were recorded for electronics, down 7.6% and stone/clay/glass, down 3%.

Gains in food products were offset by a 1.2% loss in the lumber industry, which ranks first in the state for industrial employment, employing 3,587.

For the full story, including a list of companies expanding in Montana, click here.

Manufacturing companies in Billings employ 4,387 workers, up a half percent, according to MNI. Bozeman posted a 1.5% gain, while Missoula manufacturing employment fell 3.2%.

Detailed profiles of all Montana manufacturers can be found in the 2014 Montana Manufacturers Directory^® available in print or online. 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.