Manufacturers’ News, Inc. — Manufacturing employment in Alabama inched up another notch over the past year, reports the 2015 Alabama Manufacturers Register ^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to data collected by MNI, Alabama manufacturers added 2,013 jobs from March 2014 to March 2015, a half-percent increase that fell shy of the nation’s 1.7% average increase reported by the Labor Department for the same time period.

Manufacturers’ News reports Alabama is now home to 5,175 manufacturers employing 296,617 workers. This year’s survey marks the third straight year Alabama has posted a gain in manufacturing employment.

“With its friendly business environment and low cost of living, Alabama continues to be a draw for new business,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, it still faces tough competition from its neighbors, and finding skilled workers has been a challenge for the state.”

According to Manufacturers’ News, the state’s leading industries all posted gains over the year. The transportation equipment sector posted a 1.7% increase and ranks first in the state for industrial employment with 44,362 jobs. Employment in second-ranked food processing also rose 1.7% to 33,798 jobs, while third-ranked fabricated metals posted a 4.6% increase, currently employing 26,555.

Job growth was also reported in industrial machinery and textiles/apparel, both up 1.7%. Furniture/fixtures posted the state’s largest decline, down 7.2%.

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MNI reports gains were concentrated in Southwest Alabama, up 3.3%, and Southeast Alabama, up 1.2%. Employment dropped 4.8% in Northwest Alabama. Increases were reported across Alabama’s top cities, with Mobile up 11%; Huntsville, up 1.7%; and Birmingham, up 1.5%.

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

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