Is the word "particularly" an odd choice?

I came across this sentence in something I am editing:

... his opportunities in the manufacturing industry are particularly lower than expected.

Am I wrong to object to the use of “particularly” in this sentence? I think it sounds odd, a little stilted, and I would like to recommend that the writer use “much” instead:

... his opportunities in the manufacturing industry are much lower than expected.

That sounds more natural to me. But does the sentence lose something by switching from “particularly” to “much”?

Solution 1:

It is not incorrect, but it is an unusual formulation.

The OED has "To a special degree; to a higher degree than usual; more than in other cases; especially, markedly, notably; much, very." as the third definition, but is usually applied positively: "particularly abundant", "particularly useful", "particularly intelligent", etc.

To me, using particularly in "particularly lower" grates. I would challenge the author to come up with a more suitable adverb, as you suggest ("much", or "significantly").

Solution 2:

I might guess the author intended something more like:

... his opportunities, particularly in the manufacturing industry, are lower than expected.

but you may well be correct; it's an improvement in any case.