Recovery in Great Lakes Aided by 135 New Plants and 12,500 New Jobs in 2011

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Great Lakes region of the United States has been, arguably, the hardest hit area of the country during the recession. Hundreds of plants were closed, and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost over the past two years in the region, thanks to both the economy and the collapse of the automotive sector. However, things have been gradually improving in the region over the past six months. The automotive sector has slowly recovered, and the heavy manufacturing sector--another sector with a massive presence in the area--has been slowly adding jobs. As a result, there are currently 135 plants that are scheduled to begin operations during 2011 in the region, bringing up to 12,500 new jobs to the region.

With 32 new plants resulting in 2,600 new jobs, Ohio leads the region for the number of new plants. Indiana will add the most new jobs, totaling 3,300 at the state's 24 new plants. Illinois will see 27 plants begin operations, creating 1,600 new jobs, while Michigan will see 25 new plants and 2,900 new jobs. Wisconsin will add 18 new plants and 1,000 new jobs. Kentucky lags behind its regional mates, bringing only nine new plants and 840 new jobs to the cities within its borders.

The Industrial Manufacturing Industry, not unsurprisingly due to the sheer volume of plants and companies it maintains in the region, will add the most jobs (6,100) and the second most plants (26) in the region.

Click on image at right for a breakdown of new plants and jobs by industry in the Great Lakes region.

The number of new plants beginning operations may increase as the year develops, depending on how rapidly facilities can be constructed. As the recession has slowed, many companies have opted to purchase existing closed plants and renovate them, rather than construct grassroot plants. With a massive number of plants sitting idle thanks to the down economy and companies' being forced out of business, it is no surprise that companies are taking advantage of the situation to save some money.

The jobs numbers will also grow as the year passes. Companies have been gradually adding employees at existing operations as the overall economic situation has improved, and this will certainly continue throughout 2011. With unemployment remaining very high in many parts of the Great Lakes region, the pool of qualified labor is vast, providing ideal employees for companies that are seeking to grow. In addition, the cities and states that make up the region are pulling out all stops to attract new business, which has only just begun to pay off.

While the overall situation in the region is anything but positive because of the depths that the industry fell during the recession, gradual improvement has been made each month and is only likely to improve more rapidly as 2011 progresses. These new plants and the large number of new jobs they will create will help to attract more business to the region, which in turn will create more jobs. The remarkable recovery of the automotive sector will also prove to be a boon the region as more jobs are added to the sector and sales continue to improve. The overall situation will not be back to pre-recession levels of prosperity by the end of 2011, but the region is certainly taking steps in the right direction.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. IIR's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.