EVANSTON, Ill., Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial employment in Oregon increased one percent over the past year, according to the 2013 Oregon Manufacturers Directory^®, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI reports Oregon gained 2,289 manufacturing jobs from October 2011 to October 2012, more than double the gain reported over the 2010-2011 survey period.

Manufacturers' News reports Oregon is now home to 5,757 manufacturers employing 217,166 workers.

"Oregon continues to see its manufacturing sector improve," says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Although the state's industrial sector still suffers from the ailing housing industry, it maintains a winning mix of abundant natural resources and lower business costs than its neighbors."

Bright spots for the state included Intel's plans for an expansion at its Hillsboro facility; the opening of ECOB Wood Coatings in Salem; the expansion of Boeing's plant in Gresham; and the expansion of ConAgra's frozen potato plant in Boardman. In addition, Pacific PET Recycling broke ground on a new processing plant in St. Helens; Cargill established a new baking facility in Tualatin; Morgan Co. located a new factory in Portland; and EnerG2 opened a battery materials plant in Albany.

MNI reports electronics manufacturing remains Oregon's largest industrial sector by employment with 31,531 jobs, up 4.8% over the year. Food products manufacturing has overtaken lumber/wood as the state's second-largest industrial sector by employment, and currently accounts for 29,110 jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Third-ranked lumber/wood now employs 28,654 workers, 4.6% less than a year ago.

Industrial sectors that gained jobs over the year included primary metals, up 11.9%; furniture/fixtures, up 9.4%; transportation equipment, up 6.9%; rubber/plastics, up 6.2%; and chemicals, up 1%. Losses included paper products, which fell 4.2% following the closure of Boise Inc.'s St. Helens paper mill, among others. Textiles/apparel declined 3.1%; printing/publishing fell 2.6%; and stone/clay/glass declined 1.7%, according to MNI.

Manufacturers' News reports Northwest Oregon accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 161,551 jobs, up 1.7% over the year. Southwest Oregon accounts for 41,449 jobs, down 1.9%, while Southeast Oregon is home to 7,993 industrial workers, with no significant change reported.  Northeast Oregon accounts for 6,173 industrial jobs, up 4.8% over the past twelve months.  

According to the industrial directory, Portland is Oregon's top city for manufacturing employment, home to 48,252 jobs, up 1% over the year. Second-ranked Hillsboro accounts for 24,840 jobs, up 6.9% over the past twelve months. Beaverton accounts for 15,801 manufacturing jobs, virtually unchanged from a year ago, while fourth-ranked Eugene accounts for 11,661, down 1.3%. Salem is home to 7,342 manufacturing jobs, up 2.6% over the past year.

Detailed profiles of Oregon's 5,757 manufacturers and 1,003 distributors can be found in the 2013 Oregon Manufacturers Directory^®, available in print for $114, or available online through MNI's subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 19,732 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.

Manufacturers' News, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories.  For 101 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour state business registrations, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100. www.manufacturersnews.com. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter.        

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.