In the last year, industrial employment in Illinois grew nearly 1 percent with 6,833 added jobs, according to the 2013 Illinois Manufacturers Directory.
Illinois now accounts for 18,814 manufacturing companies with 817,116 workers, MNI finds.
Each of Illinois' top manufacturing sectors recorded employment growth over the year, MNI reveals. These sectors include industrial machinery and equipment with 130,959 jobs at 1.5 percent, fabricated metals with 93,873 jobs at 2.4 percent and food products with 92,927 industrial jobs at 1 percent.
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"Illinois obviously has some major budget and credit rating issues, which may keep some businesses away," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "But the state's central location; easy access to shipping and transportation; and large, highly skilled work force continue to make Illinois a major player in the manufacturing sector."
Other manufacturing sectors that saw gains are paper products at 3.9 percent, rubber and plastics at 3.5 percent, fabricated metals at 2.4 percent and electronics at 1.6 percent, MNI finds. Among the manufacturing sectors with losses are furniture and fixtures at minus 2.5 percent; lumber and wood at minus 2.2 percent; stone, clay and glass at minus 1.6 percent; and printing and publishing at minus 1 percent.
Northwest Illinois is home to 73,144 workers, up 2.4 percent, MNI finds, followed by West Central Illinois with 56,861 jobs, a 2.9 percent increase. Next is East Central Illinois with 55,557 jobs, a decrease of 1.5 percent. Fourth-ranked Southwest Illinois has 35,873 jobs, and Southeast Illinois has 28,095 workers, both representing no real change.
Illinois' top cities for manufacturing employer are Chicago with 106,936 workers, a gain of less than 1 percent; Elk Grove Village with 20,339 jobs; which is virtually unchanged; and Rockford with 19,335 workers, also for no significant change.
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