Industrial employment in Wisconsin fell 5 percent over the past 12 months according to the 2010 Wisconsin Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. MNI reports Wisconsin lost 31,296 industrial jobs and 413 manufacturers between June 2008 and June 2009, the sharpest decline MNI has ever reported in the 25 years it has been tracking the state's industry.
Manufacturers' News reports Wisconsin is now home to 12,026 manufacturers employing 600,017 workers.
"As with the entire nation, the recession continues to affect Wisconsin's industrial sectors, with the auto industry and sectors related to the housing market taking the biggest hit," says Tom Dubin, president of the Evanston, Ill.-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "However, the state's educated workforce and strong exports should help lay the groundwork for recovery."
Transportation equipment manufacturing saw the worst drop in employment, down 20 percent over the past 12 months due partially to the shutdowns at General Motors’ Janesville assembly plant and the Janesville Lear Corporation plant, which closed in December. As a result, industrial employment in Janesville fell 45 percent. Other auto industry manufacturers shutting down include Alcoa Wheel Products, which shuttered its Beloit plant in March.
Manufacturers associated with the housing industry also saw declines over the year with employment in lumber and wood, down 8.3 percent, and furniture/fixtures, down 3.2 percent.
Industrial machinery and equipment remains the state's top sector by manufacturing employment with 105,816 jobs, down 3.9 percent over the year. Fabricated metal products account for 67,206 jobs, down 5.4 percent, while third-ranked food products manufacturing accounts for 66,447 jobs, down 1.2 percent over the past 12 months.
Most other industrial sectors in Wisconsin lost jobs within the past year and included primary metals manufacturing, down 6.1 percent; printing/publishing, down 5.4 percent; rubber/plastics, down 5.1 percent; paper products, down 4.9 percent; electronics, down 4.6 percent; and stone/clay/glass, down 2.3 percent. Employment in chemicals manufacturing remained steady, according to MNI.
Bright spots for the state include the planned expansion of Oshkosh Corporation, a manufacturer of commercial vehicles that will be stepping up production of all-terrain vehicles for the U.S. armed forces, creating 300 to 500 jobs. The continued increase in exports from Wisconsin – rising 13 percent from 2007 to 2008 according to government data – has also helped to offset losses.
Manufacturers' News reports southeast Wisconsin saw the largest drop in employment, down 6.1 percent over the year, with the region currently accounting for 324,967 jobs, or 54 percent of the state. Manufacturing employment declined 4.1 percent in southwest Wisconsin, with the region currently home to 47,429 jobs, while northern Wisconsin suffered a 3.8 percent drop and is currently home to 38,318 jobs. Central Wisconsin saw a 3.4 percent decline and currently accounts for 189,303 of the state's manufacturing jobs, according to MNI.
MNI's city data shows Milwaukee is Wisconsin's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 60,467 jobs, with jobs down 4 percent over the year. Second-ranked Green Bay accounts for 23,694 jobs, with employment down 2.9 percent. Madison is home to 19,058 industrial jobs, down 3.1 percent over the year, while Waukesha accounts for 17,320 jobs, down 3.5 percent. Appleton is home to 14,641, down 7.9 percent over the past 12 months.
