/EINPresswire.com/ -- EVANSTON, IL--(Marketwired - March 30, 2016) - Manufacturers' News, Inc. -- New Jersey manufacturing employment inched down in 2015, reports the 2016 New Jersey Manufacturers Register®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI's database of manufacturers, New Jersey lost 2,308 manufacturing jobs from January 2015 to January 2016, a half percent decline.

New Jersey is now home to 9,106 industrial companies employing 396,212 workers. MNI data shows industrial employment in New Jersey has remained mostly flat over the past three years, after declining 13% from 2008 to 2013.

"High business costs and aging infrastructure, combined with global competition, have put New Jersey's manufacturing growth on hold," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, its top-notch workforce and access to capital has helped foster a variety of enterprises, from cutting-edge pharmaceutical manufacturers to small, niche-based food processors."

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

MNI reports most of the state's industrial sectors posted employment losses over the year including stone/clay/glass, down 7.2%; textiles/apparel, down 5.3%; paper products, down 3.4%; furniture/fixtures, down 3.2%; industrial machinery, down 3.1%; and primary metals, down 3%.

Employment growth in the state's top three sectors helped minimize losses, however. Jobs in chemical processing, including pharmaceuticals, rose 1.5% in 2015, with the sector ranking first in New Jersey for industrial employment, at 76,725 workers. Second-ranked printing/publishing posted a slight net gain of 86 jobs, currently employing 42,429, while employment in third-ranked food processing rose 1.5% to 38,332 jobs. 

MNI's regional data shows New Jersey's Northeast region accounted for most of the state's losses, with jobs down 1.2%. The Northeast accounts for 267,184 industrial jobs, or nearly 70%. Southwest New Jersey also posted a loss, down 1.8% to 40,776 industrial workers.

Those losses were offset by gains in the Northwest, up 2.1% to a current level of 55,320 workers. Industrial employment in the state's Southeast region remained steady at 32,932 jobs, reports MNI.

City data collected by MNI shows Newark is the state's top city by number of manufacturing jobs, down 4.2% over the year to 9,118 jobs. Employment in second-ranked Parsippany rose 7.3% to 8,069 jobs. Employment was down 6.8% in third-ranked Piscataway to 7,757 jobs, and declined 1% in fourth-ranked Moorsetown to 7,068. Somerset ranks fifth with 6,241 jobs, down 2.5%. 

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 (www.ezselect.com) allows users to tap into a live interactive database of manufacturers, while its industrial search engine IndustryNet (www.industrynet.com) 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.mni.net or follow MNI on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mfrsnews

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