Michigan has added the eighth-most manufacturing jobs in the country since 2021, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Driving the news: Nearly 24,000 statewide manufacturing jobs were added from January 2021 to May 2023, an increase of 4%.
- While Minnesota and Wisconsin had the highest percent increase of any state in the Midwest, Ohio (30,800) and Michigan (23,500) saw the highest number of jobs added since 2021, data shows.
Why it matters: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will take credit for thousands of jobs added, especially those in unions — but the percentage increase has still not been as explosive as in the South and West.
Between the lines: In fall 2021, Ford Motor Co. snubbed its home state for $11.4 billion for an EV manufacturing site and battery plants — its largest overall investment to date — in Tennessee and Kentucky.
- That snub paved the way for Whitmer's highly competitive corporate-friendly posture, resulting in lawmakers fast-tracking legislation to put $1 billion toward attracting manufacturing or commercial investments.
- The Strategic Outreach Attraction Reserve (SOAR) has since totaled $2 billion after lawmakers approved additional funding toward attracting big business.
Worthy of your time: The Detroit News showed how state leaders use code names and non-disclosure agreements to keep business incentive negotiations secret in an investigation this year.
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