#447. Indiana gains manufacturing jobs for second straight year

Indiana gains manufacturing jobs for second straight year

Manufacturer’s News Inc., an industry research firm, found the state gained 8,020 manufacturing jobs from April 2012 to April 2013, an increase of 1.4 percent.

The manufacturing industry gained 4,300 new jobs in June and accounted for more than 80 percent of the new private-sector jobs added in the state last month, according to the Department of Workforce Development. Indiana led the nation in manufacturing jobs added in June.

“Indiana is doing better than the nation as a whole,” said Tom Dubin, president and CEO of Manufacturer’s News, which has surveyed manufacturers across the country for more than a century. “The transportation industry in Indiana is especially strong, with Toyota, Subaru and automotive suppliers bouncing back from the economic downturn.”

Nearly 9,700 manufacturers operate in Indiana, and they employ 556,367 workers, according to Manufacturer’s News.

The state has remained attractive to manufacturers because of its low cost of doing business, skilled workforce and central location, Dubin said.

“It’s centrally located, and manufacturers need transportation hubs to ship their products all over the world,” he said. “They need to have access to highways, freightways and waterways.”

Indiana continues to be a very pro-business and pro-manufacturing environment. Two years ago, the state passed right-to-work legislation. Is it any coincidence that the state continues to gain manufacturing jobs? States that continue to overlook what Indiana is doing will continue to fall behind.

Full article.