Minnesota only reports a slight gain in manufacturing jobs as it added 9,611 positions from October 2011 to October 2012 for an increase of less than 1 percent, according to the 2013 Minnesota Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. in Evanston, Ill.
After measuring this increase, Minnesota now accounts for 9,611 manufacturers with 454,368 workers, MNI finds.
"Minnesota continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "Its educated work force and solid infrastructure have made it easier for manufacturers to expand."
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The top industrial sector by employment is industrial machinery and equipment with 68,785 jobs for no major change, MNI finds, followed by food products with 66,408 jobs, which also reports no significant change. Printing and publishing comes in at No. 3 with 44,820 jobs, a decline of 1 percent.
Of the Minnesota industries that added jobs are furniture and fixtures at 4.1 percent, rubber and plastics at 3.1 percent, fabricated metals at 1.2 percent, chemicals at 1 percent and primary metals at 1 percent, MNI finds. Meanwhile, industries with losses are paper products at minus 4 percent, lumber and wood at minus 3.8 percent, textiles and apparel at minus 1.5 percent, and electronics at minus 1 percent.
MNI reports that East Central Minnesota owns most of the state's industrial employment with 232,738 jobs, a 0.5 percent drop, while Southeast Minnesota employs the second highest number of workers with 110,601 jobs, a 1 percent gain. Third-ranked West Central Minnesota accounts for 39,307 jobs, representing a 1.1 percent increase, and Southwest Minnesota has 35,059 jobs for no major change. Northeast Minnesota is home to 19,786 jobs, up 2.5 percent, followed by Northwest Minnesota with 16,877 jobs, a 1.7 percent uptick.
Minneapolis continues to sit as Minnesota's top city for manufacturing employment with 54,976 jobs, though this is a decline of 1.9 percent, MNI finds. Next is St. Paul with 40,776 jobs, down 2.4 percent, followed by Eden Prairie with 12,908 jobs, marking a 3.7 percent increase. Eagan offers 11,757 jobs for no major change, and Bloomington backs 10,740 jobs, a 2.1 percent rise.
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