Printing Employment Rises Since March

Printing industry employment has increased 0.5% since March after a steady decline since mid-1998, shedding 16% of total jobs. Publishing jobs, however, fell 1% in the last three months, and have now fallen 10% since their late 2000 peak.

Since all of the springtime hiring by printers comes unusually early in a business expansion, there may be no additional net hiring until the fall. Overall, U.S. employment has been steady since March, with service industry gains offsetting manufacturing and retail industry declines.

Flexographic printers have added 2,400 jobs in the last three months, screen printers, 1,800, and lithographic printers 1,400. Meanwhile, job losses include 2,000 jobs at quick printers, 1,100 at business forms printers, and 600 at miscellaneous commercial printers. The job count is steady at printing trades suppliers after sizable declines in recent years.

Newspapers are bearing the brunt of the decline in publishing jobs. Book industry employment is still falling slowly, but periodicals are now expanding employment.

Printing employment is expected to get a boost of 1.5% next year thanks to an expanding economy. Marketing to consumers and exported printed material will have the strongest growth. However, printing jobs will not expand as quickly as overall employment. As the high growth phase of the business expansion tapers off, the printing job count is expected to fall once more.

In recent years, labor productivity gains in printing have been bigger, as they have elsewhere in manufacturing. Productivity increased 4% per year in commercial printing during 1999 to 2000 (latest data).