EVANSTON, IL–(Marketwired – June 16, 2016) – Manufacturers’ News, Inc. — Manufacturing employment in Alabama inched up for a fourth year, reports the 2016 Alabama Manufacturers Register^®, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. According to MNI’s industrial database, manufacturers in Alabama added a net 739 jobs between March 2015 and March 2016.

Alabama’s 5,025 manufacturers employ 294,811 in the state, reports MNI.

“With its competitive labor costs, abundance of project funding, and friendly business environment, Alabama is a huge draw for many manufacturers,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “However, finding skilled workers continues to be a challenge, and the state faces tough competition from its neighbors.”

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

MNI reports Alabama’s transportation equipment industry continues to grow, with the sector adding 753 jobs or 1.7%. The transportation equipment sector employs the most manufacturing workers in Alabama, employing 45,385.

Second-ranked food processing accounts for 32,927 jobs, with no significant change reported, while the third-ranked fabricated metals industry employs 25,966, down 2.2% over the year.

Alabama industries adding jobs over the year included rubber/plastics, up 5%; industrial machinery, up 4.5%; textiles/apparel, up 2.7%; and electronics, up 2%.

Alabama manufacturing sectors that lost jobs included furniture/fixtures, down 6.4%; 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 concentrated in the south of the state with Southeast Alabama gaining 1.5% to 52,490 jobs, and Southwest Alabama gaining 1.2% to 43,643. Jobs were little changed in the remainder of the state, with Northeast Alabama accounting for 152,969 jobs, and the Northwest home to 45,709.

City data collected by MNI shows Birmingham ranks first in the state for number of manufacturing jobs, with 29,087 workers, virtually unchanged over the year. Second-ranked Huntsville accounts for 26,041, up 1%, while third-ranked Mobile is home to 15,543 workers, up 1%.

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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