California manufacturing growth stalled out in the second quarter, according to a survey released Monday by Chapman University in Orange.

The quarterly index from the A. Gary Anderson Center at Chapman showed the state’s manufacturing at 50.3 in the second quarter, down slightly from 50.5 in the first quarter and down substantially from 57.8 in the second quarter of 2007. An index reading above 50 indicates growth in the manufacturing sector.

Nationwide, manufacturing contracted slightly, recording a reading of 49.5 on Chapman’s index. That was up slightly from 49.2 in the first quarter but down from 53 in the second quarter of 2007.

A major factor in the state’s second quarter drop was a sharp decline in the employment index to 44.6 from 48.3 in the first quarter, which indicates substantial job losses in the sector.

In another dose of bad news for manufacturers, Chapman’s commodity price index jumped to 87.8 in the second quarter from 85.2 in the first quarter, with all industries reporting higher commodity prices.