One manufacturing publication reports that St. Joseph industrial jobs declined since last summer by almost 2 percent, while more than 22,000 industrial jobs were lost statewide.

According to the 2010 Missouri Manufacturers Register, the state lost 22,647 industrial jobs between July 2008 and July 2009, a 5.6 percent decrease. The industrial directory also reported the state lost 467 manufacturers - the sharpest decline reported in the 21 years that the publication has tracked the industry.

St. Joseph, which is reported to account for 9,903 industrial jobs, showed a 1.9 percent decline, while the Northwest Missouri region, which reportedly accounts for 96,571 of the state's industrial jobs, declined 4.6 percent.

The publishing group is only offering its initial findings. The

complete 967-page directory that includes exact data can be viewed by purchasing a CD for $133.

The findings would be the first decline in manufacturing for the St. Joseph area since before 2004.

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, Buchanan County manufacturing jobs steadily increased by 61 percent throughout the past five years, from 6,479 in 2004 to 10,455 jobs in 2008.

By comparison, manufacturing jobs declined statewide by 7.4 percent those same years, from 312,094 in 2004 to 289,139 last year.

Statistics for early 2009 won't be made available until Oct. 16.

Mike Beal, president of the Northwest Missouri Labor Council, said Buchanan County's past employment numbers are favorable in part due to St. Joseph's Triumph Foods opening and expansions in recent years, along with the success of animal health companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.

However, he said another disturbing trend is a decline in higher-paying salaried jobs.

"I think we're fortunate to have the level of employment we have in this economy, but we've also seen higher-salary job numbers go down quite a bit, and it has a real impact," Mr. Beal said. "It affects the number of people who are shopping and doing business in our area. The less money there is to spend, the more our businesses and the economy are affected."

Dan Nowalk, executive director of human resources and public relations at Boehringer, said trends show manufacturing jobs are shifting toward paying higher wages as employees are expected to possess higher levels of technology skills.

"This isn't your father's factory anymore, where you have assembly lines and laborers," Mr. Nowalk said. "More and more companies are moving toward requiring higher levels of education to stay up-to-date with technology."

Meanwhile, predictions for the economic future remain uncertain as industry officials wait to see what new developments emerge nationwide.

Mr. Beal said he hopes to see initiatives to bring more manufacturing to the area, while Patt Lilly, Triumph's chief administrative officer, said how his and other companies move forward will likely depend on changing demands, consumer spending and impacts of any new import-export laws.

However, Cyndra Lorey, executive director of business relations and development at the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce, said she already sees signs that the area is starting to bounce back.

"We've seen things slow down, but for the most part companies are holding their own real well," Ms. Lorey said. "Sure, we've had some companies cut back, but we're also seeing signs that things are turning around, with some businesses looking to expand and eventually bring new jobs to the area."

Jeff Schmucker can be reached

at jeffschmucker@npgco.com.