U.S. automakers still employ way more Americans than imports

While more and more import brands have opened up producton facilities in the U.S., a study performed by The Level Field Institute, a domestic industry promotion group (that's an important point, right there), found that domestic automakers (which includes General Motors, Ford and the Chrysler Group) support 2.5 more jobs for each vehicle they build in the U.S. than their import competitors. The study projects the number of jobs both groups will support in 2007, which include both blue- and white-collar jobs, and while domestic automakers will likely shed around 42,750 jobs this year, they will still be responsible for the paychecks of 378,250 workers. While import brands will add around 3,000 jobs to their payrolls in 2007, in total they will only be supporting 106,000 workers. One of the main reasons for this disparity is that while more and more import brands are building their vehicles in the U.S., much if not all of the development work takes place in their lands of origin.

The Level Field Institute is an orginization founded by retirees of GM, Ford and Chrysler and their suppliers. While one may question the report's outcome based on LFI's apparent loyalties, the group is open about its methadology and sources, which they reveal in detail here. You can check out the report in full by viewing the PDF file.

Thanks for the tip, Don!

[Source: The Level Field Institute via the Detroit Free Press]