West Michigan Employment Expands in 2007 (Grand Rapids, Holland: credit, foreclosed, insurance)

[Siberia]

According to the June 2007 Upjohn Institute Employment Research study, Grand Rapids Employment grew 0.9% latest quarter this year, with thousands of jobs being added. The entire West Michigan area employment grew 0.4% last quarter 2007. New housing starts are expanding rapidly from 2006 lows. The Michigan Economy as a whole is hurting, yet West Michigan is actually expanding on all fronts...with unemployment in the 5% range. Check for yourself...West Michigan information starts on page 12 of the following 32 page "W.E. UPJOHN INSTITUTE for Employment Research" study (released for free 4 times per year, Grand Rapids, Holland, Grand Haven, ETC have their own sections further down the report):

http://www.upjohninst.org/regional/Jun2007Busout.pdf

Note To Moderator --- Please do not remove this link to the non-profit W.E. Upjohn Institute economic study...as it is a non-profit, free to the public article with no advertisements or other economic complications.


Perhaps the Gov and the Michigan Congress could study West Michigan and see how lower taxes (local and property), lower insurance rates (both auto and home), minimal unions, higher education jobs, expanded services, and more efficient infrastructure is the way of the future for the higher populated areas in Michigan...and NOT entitlement expansions and new taxation. Throwing money at a broken system will only delay the inevitable and make things exponentially worse in the long term (long after term limits kick in and our politicians retire on warm sunset beaches outside of Michigan). Let us study the current successful areas in Michigan and make some major changes that mimic such areas for the entire state in 2007! Why delay and fumble when we already know what works???

Siberia

[jeffncandace]

Good to see that at least part of Michigan is doing better.

[magellan]

This is an interesting read too, by a Grand Rapids online publication, about Michigan's economy and what gains have been made in the last 10 years (what employment areas have grown, some tremendously). It's based on a report put out recently by the University of Michigan.

Grand Rapids – Rapid Growth - Beat Down Economics

And there is news out just recently that a Midwest bank will create a new regional HQ in downtown Grand Rapids, with a wild new office and condominium development on the riverfront:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_arti...?storyid=78520






Just waiting on tax credits from the State, which they plan to wrap up by the end of August.

[magellan]

FYI Siberia:

The June employment figures are out and Grand Rapids added 2000 jobs from June of last year. It's also the highest June figure since June 02.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data

Unemployment rate is still not great, just over 6%, but most economists look at job growth, since unemployment can fluctuate so much from people entering and leaving the "job market" or "job search banks".

[Siberia]

Wow, only 2 people replied to this great news, and one is a Moderator who reads all/most of the posts...

So another social experiment that proves why the media focuses almost entirely on negative human events versus positive ones via the "News"...good is boring, bad is good, and worse is better I suppose???...

Oh well...time to go watch the local news so I visually watch major human tradegy so I can feel good about how much better I have it myself. Wonder how many died today in automobile accidents...oh boy, "News you can use"!

In all seriousness, things are looking bright in West Michigan...almost like a mini-state within a state. Hopefully, the politicians take notice and use West Michigan as a role model for the rest of the state...

[Rdogsdad]

The brightness of the economy in West Michigan is largely due to the growth of the medical field. New hospitals and research labs are springing up in Grand Rapids, and Michigan St., is now known as the "medical mile", or "pill hill".
However, if you are working in the manufacturing industry, which this city was built on, forget it. As an unemployed journeyman in 2 different trades, I have seen a dramatic loss in jobs, and countless tool shops shutting their doors in the last 5 years. Might be interesting to see some photos of the once thriving shops, now boarded up, with weeds growing in their parking lots. Throw in a list of the 60+ homes foreclosed on each week in the city of Grand Rapids alone, not to mention the surrounding suburbs. We can only hope that those in the medical field will come to the rescue and buy us out.
The picture is not that rosy here.

[Siberia]

Originally Posted by Rdogsdad

The brightness of the economy in West Michigan is largely due to the growth of the medical field. New hospitals and research labs are springing up in Grand Rapids, and Michigan St., is now known as the "medical mile", or "pill hill".
However, if you are working in the manufacturing industry, which this city was built on, forget it. As an unemployed journeyman in 2 different trades, I have seen a dramatic loss in jobs, and countless tool shops shutting their doors in the last 5 years. Might be interesting to see some photos of the once thriving shops, now boarded up, with weeds growing in their parking lots. Throw in a list of the 60+ homes foreclosed on each week in the city of Grand Rapids alone, not to mention the surrounding suburbs. We can only hope that those in the medical field will come to the rescue and buy us out.
The picture is not that rosy here.

Consumer product companies and the furniture companies are paying out 12-20% bonuses for the last year. It isn't just the medical industry that is picking up steam. Now the automotive JCI's of West Michigan are still dying a slow and painful death. That has offset the job gains substantially from the other industries. Luckily, automotive didn't dominate West Michigan like it did the East side. Now if the furniture and medical industry collapses in West Michigan, it will be game over...yet that doesn't seem to be likely given the current expansion in a state wide depression.

I will agree that machine shops, injection molding, tool and die, etc have dried up...but that is due to china/india/mexico factor more so than Michigans financial crisis, IMHO. That began occurring for many years before the state wide deficits. So far, the china/india/mexico factor has not dented the office jobs much, even though billion dollar companies have been trying to use $5-$15 professional labor as replacement for locals for over a decade, the cultural difference, experience level, and time delay between continents has presented a huge obstacle for most replacement efforts...barring those who do customer service via the phone or Internet.

Personally without financial pain, we as Americans would stagnate. As bad as it may seem, the depression will lead to a stronger economy once things get bad enough and the big changes are forced upon our people. For example once gas hits $5/gallon in 2-3 years, we will all be forced to drive 40-50 mpg vehicles...which is a better world for our kids and the future. It is needed, as much as we hate it. Another example, it is only a matter of time before doctors from India will start video conferencing with patients with a nurse present in the patient room here in America...via the Internet. So instead of paying $400 for 5 minutes of an American doctors time (who acts like the room is on fire when the timer hits 6 minutes)...we will pay $40 per 30 minutes for a doctor in India with the same exact degree as the highly over-paid American ones (overpaid in much part due to liability insurance, exorbitant building structures, and over-staffing beyond belief...they need to be forced to change also, through income/job losses...NOT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE...).

So IMHO, Michigans pain today is going to be gain in the future...a natural and necessary force for all human beings to make major changes...

So cheer up, micro viewed bad is sometimes macro viewed good when you step back and look at the much, much bigger futuristic picture.

Siberia

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Rdogsdad

The brightness of the economy in West Michigan is largely due to the growth of the medical field. New hospitals and research labs are springing up in Grand Rapids, and Michigan St., is now known as the "medical mile", or "pill hill".
However, if you are working in the manufacturing industry, which this city was built on, forget it. As an unemployed journeyman in 2 different trades, I have seen a dramatic loss in jobs, and countless tool shops shutting their doors in the last 5 years. Might be interesting to see some photos of the once thriving shops, now boarded up, with weeds growing in their parking lots. Throw in a list of the 60+ homes foreclosed on each week in the city of Grand Rapids alone, not to mention the surrounding suburbs. We can only hope that those in the medical field will come to the rescue and buy us out.
The picture is not that rosy here.

Actually, most of those projects on Health Hill are just now under construction and won't be hiring people until 2009/2010, so they have not been adding anything to the employment picture yet.

But you're definitely right, manufacturing is hurting everywhere in this country, even in Southern states like Florida, NC, Tennessee, SC, etc.. I don't know of any manufacturing areas in the U.S. that are growing rapidly. The only manufacturing expansion going on are the Asian transplant factories, and they are going up scattered here and there (Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina). I'd love to hear some manufacturing success stories elsewhere in the U.S. though if anyone can find em.

[Sonnenwende]

Hmm, well here is a small manufacturing success in Grand Haven: MLive.com: Everything Michigan

And an article about biotech manufacturing in SW Michigan:

MLive.com: Everything Michigan

A new furniture plant will be built:

MLive.com: Everything Michigan

Here is a company that is rewarding its 400 workers: MLive.com: Everything Michigan

Small, not Michigan saving, but a small piece of positive news.

[allbusiness]

Originally Posted by Siberia

Wow, only 2 people replied to this great news, and one is a Moderator who reads all/most of the posts.

Most of us in West Michigan are just too busy working and earning lots of money to respond to every post.

Plus, we already know this. We're right in the middle of it!

You should move here, too.