MANUFACTURING

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(20 - 39)

Employment change from last quarter	- 0.5
Employment change from year ago	- 0.6
Wage change from year ago	+ 9.1

QUARTERLY

For four consecutive quarters employment in the Manufacturing industry has fallen. Since last quarter employment dropped by 1001 for a change of -0.5% with 12 of 19 sectors declining. Electrical Machinery (36) reported the largest sector loss, down 538. The majority of the loss was due to the closure of a large firm in Electronic Components & Accessories and cutbacks in a number of other large firms. Non-Electrical Machinery (35) lost 427 employees over the quarter. All subsectors declined with none commanding the bulk of the decline. Three business closures occurred in Special Industry Machinery down 80, General Industrial Machinery & Equipment lost about 70 due to layoffs and the remaining subsectors were fraught with many small cutbacks. Printing-Publishing (27) was one of the few sectors to add employment over the quarter gaining 800. Seasonal hiring for Christmas card production generated most of the gain, however newspaper publishing reported an employment spurt of about 125 and Periodical Publishing added about 90. Food Products (20) gained 360. Seasonal gains in candy production accounted for the increase.
ANNUAL

Manufacturing employment slipped 0.6% losing 1284 employees. Losses of this magnitude have not occurred since first quarter 1995. Eleven sectors declined over a year ago and eight increased. The largest losses were in Food Products (20) down 643 employees, Rubber-Misc Plastic (30) down 535 and Electrical Machinery (36) down 518. Losses in Food Products resulted from the closure of two meat-processing plants and one food cannery, SIC changes in January and staffing fluctuations. One large layoff and three closures in misc plastic products contained most of the loss in Rubber-Misc Plastics. Electrical Machinery experienced very large layoffs with one company transferring production out of the country. The leading sector in employment growth was Printing-Publishing (27) up 808. Expansions at existing newspaper, map and telephone directory printers added over 450 employees to the sector. Printing operations also expanded in the periodical and greeting card arena with each adding over 100 employees. The second largest growing sector was Stone-Clay-Glass (32) up 504 due to increased demand for redi-mixed concrete and concrete products.

Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Fourth Quarter 1998