Manufacturing employment in Michigan increased for a forth year in a row, according to the 2015 Michigan Manufacturers Directory, and there are some interesting local trends in the sector.
Michigan added 14,809 jobs from February 2014 to February 2015. That’s a 2.1% increase. The national average is only 1.7%, as reported by the the Labor Department for the same time period.
In the Detroit metro area, manufacturing employment in the city of Detroit dropped 3.5%, but it rose in the Detroit suburbs. Jobs in Warren were up 8.9%, while jobs in Auburn hills were up 3.5% and those in Sterling Heights up 2.2%.
13,915 manufacturers now call Michigan home. These companies collectively employ 675,400 workers.
Since February 2011, industrial employment in Michigan has increased 8.3%. The state has recovered about 40% of the jobs it lost during the recession.
“Michigan’s industrial base has achieved a remarkable turnaround following the recession’s steep losses, particularly in the all-important auto sector,” says Tom Dubin, President of Manufacturers’ News, Inc., which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The Big Three continue to expand in the state and investment programs such as the Michigan Strategic Fund have helped fuel start-ups and innovation. Tesla’s announcement last week that it will establish a manufacturing presence in Michigan is a definite boon to the state.”
The transportation equipment sector saw the largest growth. It saw employment grow 2.4% over the year. The transportation equipment sector now ranks first in Michigan for industrial employment and employs more than 133,278 workers.
