More great news on the job front. Last week, GE announced it is expanding its commitment to bring new jobs to Michigan. The company committed 1,100 jobs to the state last year, and last week, upped that number to 1,300 to be created over the next five years. The new jobs are part of an initiative by GE Aviation to support the development and manufacturing of advanced jet engines and avionics systems.
This is great news for the region, which has suffered in recent years. Between 2007 and 2008, Michigan lost more high-tech jobs than any other state. And then, the Great Recession took hold. In 2009, following a 5.3 percent year-over-year increase, Michigan reported the highest unemployment rate of any of the states -- 13.6 percent.
With its amended jobs commitment, GE will expand its total Michigan employment to 3,500 employees. The company is hiring technical talent at a rate of two per day, many of which are being stationed at GE's Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center, making it the largest concentration of GE IT professionals in the world.