From January 2012 to January 2013, industrial employment in New Mexico fell 1.1 percent for a loss of 609 jobs, according to the 2013 New Mexico Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. in Evanston, Ill.
Based on this drop, New Mexico now accounts for 2,079 manufacturing companies with 53,004 workers.
"Manufacturers in New Mexico are still struggling to recover from the recession," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "However, the state's educated work force and abundant natural resources have helped boost exports and attract new businesses."
Oil and gas extraction equipment ranks as New Mexico's largest sector by manufacturing employment with 8,650 jobs, up 3.7 percent, followed by electronics, down 3.5 percent. Third-ranked food products employs 5,759 workers, a drop of 3.8 percent.
Of the industrial sectors with gains are chemical products at 18.3 percent; transportation equipment at 12.4 percent; fabricated metals at 3.7 percent; printing and publishing at 2.2 percent; and stone, clay and glass at 0.7 percent. Industrial sectors with losses are primary metals at minus 12.1 percent, paper products at minus 10.5 percent, textiles and apparel at minus 5.4 percent, lumber and wood at minus 4.6 percent, industrial machinery and equipment at minus 3.2 percent, and instruments and related products at minus 2.9 percent.
Northwest New Mexico makes up the largest share of the state's industrial employment with 32,894 jobs, a decline of 1.8 percent, while southeast New Mexico is home to 11,471 jobs, up 9.5 percent. Southwest New Mexico has 4,926 jobs, down 1.4 percent, and northeast New Mexico supports 3,713 jobs, falling 3.6 percent.
The top cities for industrial employment are Albuquerque with 18,873 workers, down 2 percent; Farmington with 4,801 jobs, marking no significant change; Rio Rancho with 4,516 jobs, down 1.2 percent; Hobbs with 3,430 jobs, up 5.7 percent; and Carlsbad with 2,661 jobs, down 6.5 percent.
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