Over the last year, industrial employment in Rhode Island dropped 2.2 percent for a loss of 1,325 jobs between December 2011 and December 2012, according to the 2013 Rhode Island Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. in Evanston, Ill.
Rhode Island now accounts for 1,792 manufacturing employers with 58,197 workers, MNI finds.
"Manufacturers in Rhode Island have yet to fully recover from the recession, and high taxes combined with uncertainty over the state's massive debt burden has put a damper on hiring," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "However, the state's educated work force and access to capital continue to be a draw for new business."
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Top sectors for manufacturing in Rhode Island are industrial machinery and equipment with 6,066 jobs, marking no significant change; fabricated metal products with 5,973 jobs, down 4.8 percent; and instruments and related products with 4,424 industrial jobs, MNI reveals. Of the sectors with losses are lumber and wood at minus 12.5 percent, jewelry manufacturing at minus 7.4 percent, paper products at minus 6.3 percent, printing and publishing at minus 6.1 percent, furniture and fixtures at minus 4.9 percent, and primary metals at minus 3.7 percent. Sectors that held steady are chemicals; electronics; stone, clay and glass; and transportation equipment.
Providence is Rhode Island's top city for industrial employment as it is home to 263 manufacturing companies with 8,405 workers, though this is down 4.2 percent, MNI reports. Following is Pawtucket with 6,885 jobs, down 3.1 percent; Cranston with 5,036 jobs, which remained steady; North Kingstown with 4,965 jobs, down 1 percent; and Warwick with 4,755 jobs, up 2.7 percent.
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