Between August 2011 and August 2012, industrial employment in Massachusetts slightly dropped as it now employs 362,968 workers at 8,509 manufacturers, according to the 2013 Massachusetts Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. in Evanston, Ill.
The total number of lost jobs is 942 for a loss of less than 1 percent.
"Unfortunately, the increase in productivity and output do not necessarily translate into employment gains," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "Automation and technology have allowed manufacturers to operate with fewer workers."
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MNI finds that Massachusetts three largest sectors by employment are industrial machinery and equipment with 47,825 jobs, up 2.5 percent; electronics and electrical equipment ranks with 47,738 jobs for virtually no change; instruments and related products with 46,466 jobs, up 2.3 percent. Other sectors that experienced gains are transportation equipment, up 3.5 percent; primary metals, up 1.2 percent; and furniture and fixtures, up 1 percent.
Among the industrial sectors that reported job losses are printing and publishing at minus 4.8 percent; paper products at minus 4 percent; textiles and apparel at 3.2 percent; fabricated metals at minus 2.5 percent; stone, clay and glass at minus 1.8 percent; and rubber and plastics at minus 1 percent, MNI finds.
Central Massachusetts is home to the most manufacturing employment in the state with 159,835 jobs, a 1.5 percent increase, while Northeast Massachusetts is second with 106,429 jobs, a decline of 1.4 percent. Coming in third is Southeast Massachusetts with 52,078 industrial jobs, down 1.2 percent, followed by Western Massachusetts with 44,626 jobs, a 2.4 percent drop, according to MNI.
Again, Boston is Massachusetts' top city for manufacturing employment with 11,469 jobs for no significant change. Andover comes in second with 11,366 jobs, which also is unchanged, while Waltham ranks as third with 10,239 jobs, a 2.1 percent increase. Next is in Framingham with 8,301 jobs, a growth of 2.6 percent and Worcester with 8,231 jobs, down 1 percent.
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