EVANSTON, IL–(Marketwired – April 12, 2016) – New Mexico manufacturing employment inched down in 2015, reports the 2016 New Mexico Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI’s database of manufacturers, New Mexico lost 1,548 industrial jobs from January 2015 to January 2016, or 2.8%, the first loss MNI has reported for the state since the 2012-2013 survey period.

New Mexico is now home to 2,008 industrial companies employing 54,196 workers. MNI data shows factory employment in New Mexico climbed 4% between January 2011 and January 2015, after posting a 6% drop from 2009-2011.

“New Mexico industry greatly benefited from the oil boom, but growth is sputtering with the fall in oil prices,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, the state’s abundance of natural resources goes beyond oil, with a stronghold in food processing, and its solid infrastructure is a draw for many enterprises.”

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MNI reports losses were led by the state’s oil and gas extraction sector, which shed 10% of its workforce, after skyrocketing 67% from 2009-2015. The oil/gas sector accounts for 9,863 industrial jobs in New Mexico, ranking it first in the state for industrial employment.

Other industrial sectors losing jobs included paper products, down 9.5%; lumber/wood, down 7.3%; electronics, down 5.6%; industrial machinery, down 4.8%; and fabricated metals, down 4.2%.

Losses were offset by gains in the state’s food processing sector, which rose 2.7% to 5,746 jobs, ranking it third in the state for manufacturing employment. Other gains were reported in primary metals, up 8.8%; stone/clay/glass, up 4.4%; and instruments/related products, up 2.1%.

MNI reports Albuquerque is New Mexico’s top city for manufacturing employment, accounting for 18,218 jobs, down 2.5% over the year. Industrial employment fell 8.6% in Hobbs, and 3.9% in Farmington, and rose 3% in Carlsbad.

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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