Vermont Manufacturing Jobs Declined 1.3% in 2014

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Vermont manufacturing employment declined slightly in 2014, reports the 2015 Vermont Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI). According to data collected by MNI, Vermont lost 605 industrial jobs, or 1.3%, from December 2013 to December 2014, in contrast to the 1.7% national average gain reported by the Labor Department for the same time period.

Manufacturers' News reports Vermont is now home to 1,363 manufacturers employing 43,777 workers.

"High business costs, global competition, and a shortage of skilled workers have made it difficult for Vermont manufacturers to climb back from the recession," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, the state is still home to a number of major manufacturing operations, including several Department of Defense suppliers."

Manufacturers' News reports the electronics industry shed the most jobs, down 6.1%. The industrial machinery sector, the state's third-largest by employment, lost 7.7% of its jobs. Additional losses were reported in primary metals, down 15.5%; printing/publishing, down 7.5%; furniture/fixtures, down 4%; and lumber/wood, down 2.9%.

Growth in the state's food products sector was a rare bright spot, with jobs up 8.1%. Vermont's food processing industry currently accounts for the second most industrial jobs, employing 5,696.

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Employment gains were seen also in the stone/clay/glass sector, which increased 7.4% and in rubber/plastics, up 6.1%.

MNI reports the city of Essex Junction ranks first in the state for industrial employment with 5,942 jobs, down 1.1% in 2014. Manufacturing employment declined 5.2% in Rutland, fell 2.8% in Brattleboro, and rose 2.1% in Burlington.

Established in 1912, Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of industrial information. MNI offers a variety of tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers. MNI's industrial database subscription service EZ Select allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet connects buyers and suppliers and allows users to view profiles and obtain competitive quotes. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc. 847-864-7000. http://www.manufacturersnews.com