Georgia added the most net new manufacturing employees in August, according to new state-wide employment data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Georgia manufacturers hired an additional 5,500 workers in the month. This was followed by Florida (up 4,500), Colorado (up 2,100), Illinois (up 2,100) and Michigan (up 2,000). On a year-to-date basis, Georgia also fared well, making the top five states for manufacturing job growth. The top five states for manufacturing job gains through August were Indiana (up 14,300), Ohio (up 9,400), Georgia (up 9,100), Texas (up 9,100) and Michigan (up 7,100).
Since the recession, manufacturers have added 681,000 net new workers. Michigan has added the most manufacturing employees since the end of 2009, hiring 111,300 on net. Other top states since the recession ended include Texas (up 80,100), Indiana (up 72,600), Ohio (up 61,300) and Wisconsin (up 41,600).
In terms of the unemployment rate, North Dakota’s 2.8 percent rate remains the lowest in the United States, with shale exploration continuing to pay benefits that that state’s economy. Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah also have very low unemployment rates, each with 3.6 percent of their populations unemployed. At the other end of the spectrum, Georgia (8.1 percent) has the highest unemployment rate, followed by Mississippi (7.9 percent), Rhode Island (7.7 percent), the District of Columbia (7.6 percent) and Nevada (7.6 percent).
Chad Moutray is the chief economist, National Association of Manufacturers.