After several years of employment losses, industrial jobs in Delaware grew nearly 1 percent in the past year as it now has 749 manufacturers employing 38,895 workers, according to the 2013 Delaware Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. in Evanston, Ill.
This marks a gain of 290 industrial jobs between June 2011 and June 2012.
"Delaware continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "The state's business friendly environment and central location along the Atlantic Coast have been a draw for a variety of enterprises."
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According to MNI, each of Delaware's largest manufacturing sectors reported job growth from the last year. Chemicals manufacturing continues to rank as Delaware's top industrial sector with 11,625 jobs, up 3.1 percent from 2011, and food products comes in second employing 9,130 jobs, up a 0.5 percent. Instruments and related products saw an employment increase of 2.8 percent as it accounts for 2,611 of the state's manufacturing jobs.
Among other sectors that reported job growth are stone, clay and glass at 5.7 percent and lumber and wood at 3.9 percent. Employment held steady in furniture and fixtures, printing and publishing, primary metals, and transportation equipment while losses were recorded in paper products at minus 11.5 percent, electronics at minus 5.3 percent, rubber and plastics at minus 5.3 percent, fabricated metals at minus 2.6 percent, and industrial machinery and equipment at minus 1.8 percent.
MNI also finds that Wilmington remains Delaware's top city for manufacturing employment with 11,631 jobs, marking a 3.8 percent increase from last year. Newark comes in at second accounting for 5,331 jobs, representing a 3.6 percent decrease in the last year while New Castle also recorded a dip at 1 percent with 3,251 industrial jobs. Georgetown employs 2,521 jobs, down 2.1 percent, and Milford is home to 2,260 jobs, a 1.6 percent decline.
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