EVANSTON, Ill. - Indiana lost 17,108 manufacturing jobs over the past twelve months according to a recently published directory.
The 2007 Indiana Manufacturers Directory reports Indiana lost 2.4 percent of the state’s manufacturing employment since March 2006, continuing the downward trend the state has experienced since 2000.
The automotive industry remains Indiana's top industrial employer, accounting for 12 percent of the state's manufacturing employment, but is also down 11,174 jobs or 12 percent from last year.
Plastic products represent 5 percent, while third-ranked steel works and blast furnaces account for another 3.6 percent. The pharmaceutical industry, which represents 19,034 industrial jobs in Indiana, was one of the few sectors to add jobs in 2006, posting a 2.3 percent increase over the past 12 months.
Major cuts to the automotive sector include the closings of a Delphi and a Guide Corp. plant, both located in Anderson.
The report also found that Indiana is now home to 11,399 manufacturing companies employing a total of 676,851 workers.
Indiana ranks eleventh in the nation in total manufacturing plants, but eighth for total manufacturing jobs which accounts for 3.5 percent of the nation's manufacturing employment.
Indiana manufacturers employ an average of 60 employees per plant compared to the national average of 45 per plant.
Indianapolis is the state's top industrial employer, representing 14 percent of the state's manufacturing employment, or 92,588 jobs, a decrease of 1.5 percent from March 2006. Indianapolis ranks eighth in the nation for manufacturing employment and fourth in the Midwest.
Manufacturers' News, Inc. compiles manufacturing statistics for all 50 states.