Despite absorbing some blows, manufacturing in Delaware has survived and it appears that better days are ahead. Over the past two decades Delaware manufacturing employment has plummeted from 48,000 to 26,000, an astounding decline of over 40%. Scanning the landscape, Delaware no longer has an automobile manufacturing industry, the chemical industry is down to one-fourth its former size, pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca is eliminating 550 research positions, and the major refinery is currently in mothballs. Over the past decade paper manufacturing in Delaware has shed nearly 9 out of every 10 jobs and almost 5 out of every 10 jobs have disappeared from the manufacture of both plastics and medical equipment.