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Wisconsin lost more than 31,000 manufacturing jobs between June 2008 and June 2009, for a record-breaking overall drop of 5 percent, according to an industry directory.
The Wisconsin Manufacturers Register, published annually by Manufacturers’ News, reported this week the state lost 31,296 industrial jobs and 413 manufacturing companies during that 12-month period. It was the sharpest decline recorded in the past 25 years, the company said.
“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,” president Tom Dubin said in a news release.
By manufacturing sector, transportation equipment saw the worst drop in employment, down 20 percent and due partially to the shutdowns of Janesville’s General Motors plant and one of its suppliers, Lear Corp. Other auto-related manufacturing losses included Alcoa Wheel Products, which closed its Beloit plant in March.
Job losses in housing-related manufacturing included an 8.3 percent drop in lumber and wood, and a 3.2 percent decline in furniture/fixtures.
The state’s top sector for manufacturing employment remains industrial machinery and equipment, with 105,816 jobs, which was down 3.9 percent over the year. Fabricated metal products accounted for 67,206 jobs, a drop of 5.4 percent, while third-ranked food products manufacturing accounted for 66,447 jobs, down 1.2 percent.
Most other sectors also lost jobs, including 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 held steady, while bright spots for the state included the planned expansion of Oshkosh Corp., which will step up production of vehicles for the U.S. military, creating 300 to 500 jobs. Also helping to offset losses is the state’s continuing increase in exports, which rose 13 percent from 2007 to 2008, according to government data.
By region, southeast Wisconsin saw the biggest drop in manufacturing-related employment, at 6.1 percent. But the region still accounts for 324,967 manufacturing jobs, or 54 percent of the state’s total.
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