JLL: Detroit Jobs Market Recovering

DETROIT—The metro area of Detroit went through hard times for much of the last decade, with a persistently high unemployment rate and steadily deteriorating urban core. But most experts say the region’s economy looks much stronger these days, as both manufacturing and office jobs, including high-tech services, have begun sprouting in the suburbs and downtown.

“The auto industry, as well as its suppliers, is now operating at near-full capacity,” Robert Kramp, vice president and director of research for the Midwest and Great Lakes regions for Jones Lang LaSalle, tells GlobeSt.com. This revival has helped drive “about 5-million-square-feet of industrial absorption in 2013, and the vacancy rate for industrial sank to 11.2%, putting Detroit in the top quartile of US cities.”