R.I. industrial employment drops 2.2 percent in 2012

EVANSTON, Ill. – Industrial employment in Rhode Island declined 2.2 percent over the past year according to the 2013 Rhode Island Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News Inc.
Rhode Island manufacturers saw a loss of 1,325 jobs between December 2011 and December 2012, the company said in a news release.
“Manufacturers in Rhode Island have yet to fully recover from the recession, and high taxes combined with uncertainty over the state’s massive debt burden has put a damper on hiring,” Manufacturers’ News Inc. said.
The industrial directory said that the state is currently home to 1,792 manufacturing companies, which employ 58,197 workers.
The report said that industrial machinery and equipment accounted for the most manufacturing employment in the state with 6,066 jobs, virtually unchanged over the year.
Second-ranked fabricated metal products accounts for 5,973 manufacturing jobs, down 4.8 percent after the closure of companies that include East Greenwich’s Stanley Bostitch. •

No posts to display