America’s ‘rust belt’ states lead recovery

The Financial Times reports:

Traditional “rust belt” states have seen the largest gains in American manufacturing jobs over the past year, official figures show, as the upturn in US industry revives what have been some of the most depressed regions in the country.

Michigan, the centre of the US motor industry, has been the success story, creating a seasonally adjusted 29,800 net new factory jobs in the past 12 months. It accounts for about 4 per cent of US manufacturing employment but about 15 per cent of the net job creation in industry over the past year.