An Anatomy of Change and Transition: The Automobile Industry of Southeast Michigan

Abstract

At one time Southeastern Michigan was characterized by a rapid decline in manufacturing jobs and was labeled a typical rust-belt region over-dependent upon one sector of industrial production. By the end of this century in almost twenty years the region has become a center of high-tech activity, an area of increasing employment in manufacturing, and an example of a revitalized and restructured industry. The root of this transformation is found in the way the industry was restructured in order to confront its problems and, among other things, in the way it increasingly relied on a more flexible structure of engineering and production led in part by smaller and independent businesses. But this transformation has also meant a significant change in the kinds of work performed and the skill sets needed, and the need to revise how workers are to receive education and training to ensure a workforce able to address the workplace of the future.