Staff report
Figures compiled by the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce show the top employers remain mostly unchanged from last year.
The Rowan/Salisbury School System remains the county’s top employer with 3,123. Food Lion is No. 2 with the same number of employees as last year: 2,330.
The W.B. “Bill” Hefner VA Medical Center is third with 1,795. That is actually 65 more employees than last year.
Rowan Regional Medical Center is fourth at 1,095.
After leading the way for years, Freightliner has dropped from 4,500 workers in 2006 to No.5 on the list at 800.
The other companies in the top 10 remained mostly unchanged from last year: Rowan County and city of Salisbury are sixth and seventh with the same number of employees, followed by Performance Fibers, Piedmont Correctional Institute and PGT Industries.
Companies that saw a significant drop in employment are Auto Truck Transport, which is down 175 employees; Maxon Furniture, down 145; Boral Bricks, down 75; and Magna Exteriors & Interiors, which used to be Meridian Automotive and was among the top 10 employers for 2008, is down 120.