US plastics, rubber employers cut 4,000 jobs

04 April 2008 21:56  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US plastics- and rubber-products manufacturers cut 4,000 jobs in March amid growing talk of recession, according to statistics released on Friday.

Plastics and rubber products jobs fell to 734,400 in March from 738,400 in February, according to statistics released by the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of plastics- and rubber-products manufacturing jobs fell in March by 23,600 from March 2007, the bureau reported.

Overall, US employers eliminated 80,000 jobs in March from a total 137.9m jobs in February, according to the job market snapshot.

The national unemployment rate rose to 5.1% from 4.8% in February.

US chemical manufacturing jobs dropped to 859,100 in March from 860,000 in February,

March chemical jobs fell by 2,300 from March 2007, according to the statistics.

Jobs in the petroleum and coal products sectors fell to 111,300 in March from 112,600 in February and from 112,000 in March 2007.

By: Brian Ford
+1 713 525 2653

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