• Of 28 major metro markets measured, Detroit posted the biggest year-over-year gain (55%) in recruitment activity. Runners-up were Philadelphia (up 47%), Cleveland (39%), Orlando (38%) and Minneapolis (37%). Nationwide, job postings were up 13% in October, Monster said.
• Detroit's year-over-year gains have now exceeded the national average for eight-consecutive months.
• Job recruitment activity in the Detroit area has reached a level last seen in early 2006.
Granted, it was a low bar to jump because of the manufacturing losses we had suffered, but jump it we have - for many months in a row now.
"Detroit's coming off a very low base," Jerry Harriott, Monster's chief knowledge officer and creator of its employment index, said in an interview last week. "But the activity is looking much more favorable. Detroit began outpacing other areas of the country starting back in March."
Not so sure we need to "reinvent" anything at this point, given the recent strong activity. Diversify, yes. Tear down and start all over, no. Not unless you want to fall behind the rest of the nation, like Engler did when he took over and tore our economic development efforts up, costing us jobs that then went to other states.
Since Snyder is bringing back the Engler team though, announcing this morning that Dick Posthumus will be an adviser and a liaison to the legislature - we better hope they learned the lesson the first time around.