/EINPresswire.com/ -- EVANSTON, IL--(Marketwired - May 25, 2016) - Mississippi manufacturers added jobs for a third straight year, reports the 2016 Mississippi Manufacturers Register®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI's database of manufacturers, manufacturing jobs in Mississippi increased by 2,223 or 1.3% between March 2015 and March 2016.

Mississippi's 2,768 manufacturers employ 170,130 in the state, reports MNI. Since March of 2013, Mississippi has added 4,350 jobs, recovering 27% of manufacturing employment lost during the recession.

 "With its abundance of project funding and shovel-ready sites, as well as its competitive labor and business costs, Mississippi remains a top choice for many manufacturers," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, like many states across the nation, finding skilled workers continues to be a challenge."

For the full report, including specific company news, click here or visit http://www.mni.net/news/

MNI reports Mississippi's transportation equipment industry continues to grow, with the sector adding 1,769 jobs or 6.8%, following expanded hiring at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The transportation equipment sector employs the most manufacturing workers in Mississippi, with 27,702 jobs.

Mississippi's food processing and industrial machinery sectors -- second and third in the state for number of jobs -- also posted gains. Employment in food processing rose 1% to 22,805 jobs, while employment in the third-ranked industrial machinery sector climbed 1% to 19,260 jobs, reports MNI.

Additional Mississippi industries gaining jobs over the year included fabricated metals, up 9.3%; electronics, up 1.2%; and rubber/plastics, also up 1.2%. Mississippi manufacturing sectors that lost jobs included printing/publishing, down 4.8%; textiles/apparel, down 3.6%; furniture/fixtures, down 2.1%; chemicals, down 1.6%; and lumber/wood, also down 1.6%.

MNI's regional data shows employment gains were spread out across Mississippi's four regions, with the Northwest gaining 2.6% to 26,107 jobs, and the Southeast adding 1.5% to 60,067 workers. Manufacturing employment in Southwest Mississippi rose 1.3% to 37,452, and manufacturers in Northeast Mississippi added 117 jobs, to 46,504.

City data collected by MNI shows Pascagoula ranks first in the state for number of manufacturing jobs, with 15,681 workers, up 10% over the year.

Established in 1912, MNI is the nation's oldest and largest compiler of industrial information, offering tailored solutions to help customers connect with 430,000 manufacturers and suppliers. MNI's industrial marketplace IndustryNet: http://www.industrynet.com is a one-stop resource that connects buyers with suppliers of 10,000 + products and services, and allows users to obtain competitive quotes, create and view company profiles, post company news releases, photos, videos, job openings, and more. MNI's subscription service EZ Select: http://www.ezselect.com provides access to MNI's live interactive database of manufacturers. For more information, contact MNI at 847-864-7000 or visit http://www.mni.net.

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Contact:
Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers' News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff@mni.net