<p>Came across this article about manufacturers not able to find engineers and desperately recruiting on campuses etc.</p>
<p>Sounds too good to be true, no?</p>
<p>Only available to subscribers. </p>
<p>Where are they desperately recruiting? Wayne State? U of D-Mercy? Most of those people don’t want to stay in Detroit after graduation.</p>
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<p>I accessed it through LinkedIn. They mention Kettering University, Oakland University and Michigan State University</p>
<p>So… Michigan… not Detroit. MSU is not even remotely in the Detroit or Detroit metro area. Even OU is pushing it a bit.</p>
<p>I think the point is not where the colleges are. I find it amazing that any area of the country except maybe Silicon Valley can have a labor shortage</p>
<p>Well, with the supposed demise of the the US auto industry being proclaimed for years, it makes sense that engineering students would choose to concentrate in other industries. Kettering has always been a feeder for Detroit, though, and they can always recruit in nearby states. IUPUI even has motorsports engineering grads that are ready to work.</p>
<p>It is interesting to me, but not surprising. I would have guessed that the internet and satellite TV would mean workers were more willing than ever to go wherever the jobs are. But for the desirable workers, that isn’t the case.</p>
<p>This is a good reminder of why abandoning our cities hurts everyone in the region, not just the poor folks left behind.</p>
<p>There’s no shortage of workers in the US. That’s just silly. And especially not in Michigan. What there’s a shortage of is workers who are willing to work for the wages that companies would really like to hire workers at. These are completely different things.</p>
<p>^^Yes and the auto industry lost lots and lots and lots of very talented engineers and other functional areas in 2007-2010 through layoffs at Tier 1 and 2 suppliers and at the auto companies. Many of those people have little desire to return to the automotive industry in any way, shape or form. It absolutely turns my stomach when I think of what happened to people I know and now here we are 3 years later and they are looking and looking and looking to fill those same positions they drop kicked people from over the course of two years.</p>
<p>Many engineering jobs appear to be vulnerable to cyclical economic changes. Detroit still has very attractive suburbs with bargain home prices for now. I think they fill those jobs pretty quickly with a little effort around the Big 10 engineering schools and others in the midwest.</p>
<p>Perhaps. But Michigan’s loss is truly other state’s and industry gains. But yes paying a new engineering grad $55,000 a year must look good to the number crunchers who are attempting now to backfill what used to be $80-$10000 jobs held by 30-50 year olds with impeccable work credentials and years of experience. And yes, I am bitter about what happened. Oh well, what goes around comes around. I was in a $40,000 rental car the other day and the trim fit was awful, off by as much as a 1/4" everywhere in the car and my behind was sore on one side after less than an hour and the acoustics (wind noise etc.) were horrible. You gets what you pays for.</p>