Manufacturing employment up 1% in Iowa over last year

For the second year in a row, industrial employment in Iowa posted a gain according to an annual industrial directory.

The Iowa Manufacturers Register, published by Manufacturers News of Evanston, Ill.,  reports Iowa gained 2,487 manufacturing jobs from January 2012 through January 2013, or about 1 percent. The state is home to 5,421 manufacturers employing 264,440 workers.

Iowa's largest sectors by number of manufacturing jobs all posted gains. Food products ranks first in the state for industrial employment with 57,661 jobs, up about a half percent.

Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 47,257 manufacturing jobs, up 9.5 percent. Fabricated metals accounts for 21,110 industrial jobs, up 1.1 percent.

Several manufacturing companies have announced openings and expansions in Iowa, including Egypt-based Orascom Construction Industries, which plans to open a fertilizer plant in Lee County. Timewell Drainage Products opened a location in Sibley and Monsanto announced expansions of its plants in Grinnell and Williamsburg.

Valent Biosciences established a biorationals production plant in Osage and Alcoa is planning an expansion of its facility in Riverdale, near Davenport.

Cedar Rapids remains Iowa's top city for manufacturing employment with 19,992 jobs, up 1.1 percent last year. Second-ranked Des Moines is home to 17,935 jobs, up 1.8 percent in 2012.

Waterloo accounts for 12,448 industrial jobs, down 2.3 percent for the year, while industrial employment in Davenport remained virtually unchanged at 8,664 jobs. Fifth-ranked Dubuque accounts for 8,547 jobs, with no significant change reported.

East central Iowa, which includes the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor, accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 92,721 jobs, up a half percent over the year.