New Jersey Job Market Hit Hard in Recession

Industrial employment, which includes the print industry, in New Jersey has fallen 6.4 percent since the beginning of the recession, according to the 2010 New Jersey Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News Inc. (MNI).

MNI reports New Jersey lost 29,568 manufacturing jobs since December 2007, with 11,724 jobs lost between December 2007 and December 2008, and 17,844 industrial jobs from 2008 to December 2009. Over the same period of time, New Jersey lost 548 manufacturers.

“As with the entire nation, the recession continues to hit New Jersey’s core sectors, while the faltering housing market has affected industries such as wood products and building products,” said Tom Dubin, president of the Evanston, Ill.-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912.

Printing/publishing is the second largest sector in the state and accounts for 51,162 jobs, down 7.9 percent over the survey period.

According to the industrial directory, northeast New Jersey accounts for the largest share of New Jersey’s industrial employment with 294,682 manufacturing jobs, or 68 percent of the state, down 5.3 percent over the past 24 months. The northwest region ranks second at 55,195 manufacturing jobs, down 8.7 percent over two years. Southwest New Jersey is home to 47,433 industrial jobs, down 7.8 percent, while the southeast is home to 36,235 jobs, down 5.9 percent.

MNI’s city data shows Newark remains New Jersey’s top city for manufacturing employment, with 12,428 jobs, down 10.5 percent over the past 24 months. Second-ranked Moorestown accounts for 7,717 industrial jobs, down 5 percent over the past two years. Industrial jobs in Clifton declined 2.9 percent, with the city home to 7,117 jobs. Fairfield is home to 6,889 jobs, with no significant change reported over two years, while industrial employment declined 11.7 percent in Edison, with the fifth-ranked city home to 6,579 of New Jersey’s industrial jobs.

Detailed profiles of New Jersey’s 10,003 manufacturers and 1,683 industrial distributors can be found in the 2010 New Jersey Manufacturers Register. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including contact information, 31,485 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more.