Manufacturing Jobs Down 8.2% in North Carolina

The 2010 N.C. Manufacturers Register reports employment in North Carolina’s manufacturing sector was down 8.2 percent in January as compared to January 2009.

According to the report, North Carolina lost 51,831 industrial jobs last year, which is the biggest drop in the publication’s 16-year history in the state. Currently there are 10,695 manufacturers employing 581,685 people in the state.

The largest sector is textiles and apparel with 66,999 jobs, a drop of 14 percent from a year ago. The biggest decline came in transportation, which saw a 15 percent decline in jobs, according to the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area.