Steady Numbers for Idaho Manufacturing Jobs

According to the 2012 Idaho Manufacturers Directory, industrial employment in the state remained almost unchanged over the last year, posting a tiny decline. It has been reported that Idaho lost 657 jobs in manufacturing over the past 12 months, which computes to less than one percent, from October of 2010 to October of 2011. Idaho boasts 73,209 workers in 2,184 manufacturers.

“The recovery is gaining momentum in Idaho and across the U.S.,” says Tom Dubin, President of Manufacturers’ News Inc. “The state’s educated workforce and business friendly environment have been a draw for a variety of enterprises.”

In 2012, Twin Falls will see the opening of a Chobani yogurt plant, which will create close to 400 jobs. In Caldwell, a potato processing plant from J.R. Simplot will be opened and in Heyburn, a dehydrated potato processing facility will open from Oregon Potato Co, according to MarketWatch.

The largest industrial sector in Idaho is that of industrial machinery and equipment according to MNI. The industry boasts 15,331 jobs, which has declined by 1 percent over the past year. Ranking second is food products manufacturing, which boasts 15,163 jobs, which is down 2.5 percent over the past year. The third industry is wood, which owns 8.868 jobs in the state, a decrease of 2.2 percent over the past year.

The industry of textiles lost jobs in 2011, down 5.8 percent, while transportation equipment suffered a job loss of 3.2 percent. The printing industry in Idaho suffered a 1.2 percent drop in jobs in 2011. Industries that gained jobs in Idaho for 2011 were chemicals (9.7 percent increase), instruments (2.4 percent increase), and primary metals (1.5 percent increase).

Nampa will see the closure of its XL Four Star Beef processing plant along with the Boise Cascade beam production facility in Emmett and the Nordic Windpower facility in Pocatello.

There are 40,810 manufacturing jobs in the Southwest section of Idaho, which accounts for the largest number of jobs in the industry for the state. This number has decreased by 1 percent over the past 12 months. The section of Southeast Idaho comes in at second with 17.944 manufacturing jobs, a 1.8 percent decrease. The northern section of the state has 14,455 industrial jobs, which is no significant change over the past 12 months.

Boise is still the state’s best city for manufacturing employment, boasting 21,622 jobs, an increase of 2.1 percent over the past year. Coming in at second is Nampa, with 5,793 jobs, a decrease of 9.4 percent since last year. There are 4,223 industrial jobs in Idaho Falls, which is a decrease of 1.7 percent since 2010, making it the third-ranked city in Idaho. Lewiston saw its industrial employment decrease by 1.3 percent since 2010, boasting a meager 3,246 jobs. Pocatello has 2.977 jobs, which is a decrease of 2.3 percent since 2010.