The Detroit Free Press, the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, reported that the state of Michigan will increase hiring this 2011 after the nationwide economic downturn over the past years. The Free Press based their data on the nationwide survey conducted by the Employer Associations of America. The survey revealed that 48.5% of the surveyed Michigan businesses expressed that they plan to hire more workers this year.

Based on the survey results, it appears that job growth is slowly returning to Michigan and that more sectors are now being encouraged to hire additional staff as they expand and increase their business operations. The automotive and healthcare industries are expected to be the top sectors as far hiring new workers is concerned, with about 23,000 new jobs. More job hiring is slated for other industries such as professional and business services, franchised restaurants, alternative energy, advanced automotive batteries, defense and film. Thousands of new service jobs are also expected to be created in the customer service sector; more retail salespeople, customer service representatives and wait staff are expected to be hired in the coming months. The healthcare industry is also expected to boost hiring. Thousands of new job openings for various healthcare professionals, such as registered nurses, home health aides and nursing aides will be created.

In the Lansing area, the Lansing State Journal reported that the majority of new job hiring is expected to come from the healthcare, finance and insurance, information technology, and professional and business services sectors. Retailers, restaurants and other service sector businesses are also predicted to increase hiring.