Whitmer auto jobs claim off by about 25K

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has cited auto industry jobs — and lately, job announcements as a measure of success. But Whitmer’s latest claim, credit for 30,000 jobs gained since taking office, is off by about 25,000, when jobs created rather than jobs announced are considered.

As Whitmer tweeted on Oct. 12:

Michigan is the place to be.In the last year alone, our state has secured billions of dollars in automotive and manufacturing investments. Over the last 4 years, Michigan has gained over 30,000 good-paying auto jobs.

We’re getting it done!

There are two problems with Whitmer’s number. First, it’s wrong. It misrepresents job announcements for job data, which her team has admitted to. Second, it doesn’t account for jobs lost.

Michigan had 169,500 auto jobs the month Whitmer took office,& per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. It had roughly 174,900 in August 2022, the last month for which data was available. Compared to Whitmer’s first month in office, Michigan is up 5,400 auto jobs.

James Hohman, the Mackinac Center’s director of fiscal policy, notes that Michigan had 178,700 auto jobs in December 2018, the month before Whitmer took office.

Comparing August to that month, Michigan is down 3,800 jobs.

Both numbers are a long way from the 30,000 jobs that Whitmer claims.