In another signal that New York City’s long-suffering manufacturing sector might be on the mend, a new report claims that industry-wide employment is finally holding steady at roughly 76,000 total jobs.

The study, released Wednesday by the Center for an Urban Future, shows that manufacturing employment in the city has stopped its sharp decline and essentially leveled off between 2010 and 2013. While the industry might never again be a prime driver of the city’s economy, the report points out that after losing at least 5,000 jobs a year between 1997 and 2010, manufacturing jobs have increased by about 600 since 2011.

"What’s really behind this is an entrepreneurial boom in city manufacturing," said Jonathan Bowles, executive director at the Center for an Urban Future. "For years, a lot of manufacturing firms were owned by people in their 50s and 60s. A boom in food and 3-D printing businesses has breathed life into the industry and canceled out job losses at some of the older firms."