Manufacturing job loss in the Rust Belt

A detailed look at the factors that have driven away jobs in the upper Midwest shows there's not just one cause

By Plant Engineering Staff July 28, 2008

An in-depth look at the causes and effects of job loss in the northern Ohio and southern Michigan area by the Toledo Blade newspa per finds that there isn’t one culprit for the 5,300 jobs lost in the region over the last two years. Everything from trade agreements to a weakening economy to federal policies and energy cost spikes get part of the blame from regional officials.

While there’s no single cause of the problem, there’s also not one solution. And while Ohio officials are generally praised for their effort to attract new business to the region, the area lost out on the chance to bring a Volkswagen facility to Michigan when the company decided to locate to Tennessee instead .