Manufacturing in Michigan Begins to Rise Again

The state of Michigan was not very optimistic when it came down to the manufacturing sector in the state. The state of Michigan had lost close to 50 percent of the manufacturing employment. This means that about 423,000 jobs were cut during 2000 through 2010 as the auto industry in the United States dealt with a scary decline.

However, the people of Michigan are now dealing with a shocking yet pleasant surprise, as the manufacturing sector is beginning to make much of a comeback in the area. In 2011 alone, Michigan managed to add 26,400 new manufacturing jobs, offering employment to hundreds and thousands of people who needed the world. The job gains within the manufacturing sector are expected to continue to rise.

An economist for the University of Michigan, Don Grimes, has said, “Michigan really has made a turnaround.” Grime also says, “A real chunk of that is manufacturing.” Many experts are currently debating with one another on whether or not the growth of these factor jobs can and will be sustained. Many experts also question whether Michigan should rely so heavily on the automobile and manufacturing sector for the future of the state.

Two economists for the University of Michigan have made predictions that during November of 2011, the manufacturing sector would continue to grow. However, they also predicted that within a year, manufacturing would slow down to a growth of just about 10,000 jobs yearly.

There has been a separate forecast created by the Center for Automotive Research, which predicts that the state of Michigan will actually be adding on about 15,000 auto assembly jobs through this year, in 2012. With this forecast, it is expected that Michigan will continue to depend on both the automotive and manufacturing sectors.

Unlike the vast majority of the nation, Michigan is much more concentrated on, in particular, manufacturing jobs. One economist says, “If you look at us relative to the nation, we’re just as dependent on autos as we were before the recession.” He also says, “But on the other hand, we have an industry others are dying to get.”

There are quite a few people who believe that the state of Michigan should focus more on creating jobs that require higher education levels and pay more money per hour than the manufacturing jobs do. Lou Glazer, the president of Michigan Furniture Inc., has said, “If the Michigan economy of the future is built on a base of factories, farms and tourism, we will be a low-prosperity state.”

In the meantime, however, the return of thousands of manufacturing jobs is warmly welcome by the state of Michigan. The sector is networked with the economy and has a major effect on the contributions it makes when it comes to job growth.