Vermont's industrial employment remained steady over the past 12 months according to the 2008 Vermont Manufacturers Register, a compilation of state industry published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. MNI reports Vermont lost just 149 industrial jobs in 2007, contrary to the steep industrial employment losses seen in New England and the United States as a whole, and despite the loss of 34 manufacturers.
Manufacturing employment had been declining in Vermont for several years, with MNI data showing a loss of 8,602 jobs, or 15 percent, between March 2001 and December 2005. The industrial directory's last report cited a smaller employment drop of a half percent in 2006. This year's loss of 149 industrial jobs in Vermont compares favorably to the losses felt by other New England states, with Maine's manufacturing jobs down 2.6 percent and New Hampshire's down 2.5 percent.
"Vermont has defied the national trend by retaining its manufacturing jobs over the past few years," said MNI president Tom Dubin. "Vermont is home to major manufacturers in the computer, electronics and defense industries, and this has helped to offset some of the losses seen in more traditional manufacturing sectors."
MNI reports Vermont's 1.9 percent loss of manufacturers may be due to the high number of small businesses operating in the state. Fifty-two percent of Vermont's manufacturers employ five or fewer, compared to the national average of 34 percent. According to MNI data, 73 percent of companies going out of business in 2007 employed five or fewer, with 20 percent of these companies in the lumber and wood sector and another 20 percent in the printing and publishing industry.
Manufacturers' News reports Vermont is home to 1,670 manufacturers employing 51,258 workers. Vermont accounts for 5.3 percent of New England's industrial jobs and 6.4 percent of its manufacturers. MNI surveys manufacturers of all sizes, including small companies with just a few employees.
Electronics manufacturing accounts for the most manufacturing jobs in Vermont, representing 15 percent of the state's industrial employment, or 8,225 jobs, with employment in this sector unchanged over the past 12 months. Employment in food products manufacturing also posted no change and accounts for 5,724 jobs. The industrial machinery and equipment sector ranks third at 4,687 jobs, up 3.2 percent over the year. The transportation equipment sector ranks as the state's fourth largest at 4,260 jobs, and posted the largest increase in 2007, up 618 jobs, or 17 percent.
Sectors losing employment include lumber and wood, down 14 percent; furniture, down 6.1 percent; and rubber and miscellaneous plastics, down 10 percent. Printing and publishing is down 16 percent due partially to MetroGroup Corporation closing in Rutland. Sectors showing growth include chemicals and allied products, up 10 percent over the year.
Essex Junction is home to the most industrial employment in Vermont, accounting for 6,608 manufacturing jobs, up 1.5 percent since December 2006. Burlington accounts for the second-most jobs in the state at 4,149 jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Brattleboro ranks third with 1,752 employees, up 1.3 percent, while fourth-ranked Rutland accounts for 2,168, up 1.1 percent. South Burlington accounts for 1,685 industrial jobs, up 3.4 percent in 2007.
MNI reports Chittenden County's 350 manufacturers employ 37 percent of the state's workers, or 18,791 jobs, with employment up 2.9 percent despite the loss of 11 manufacturers. Rutland County accounts for 5,806 jobs and 186 manufacturers, up 7.4 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.