University of Michigan Economists, Donald Grimes and Dr. Gabriel Ehrlich, address the media in a press conference with Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson.

Good news dominated both reports and forecasts at last Thursday’s 32nd Economic Outlook Luncheon.

The Luncheon, held at the Marriott Hotel in Troy, featured keynote addresses from two University of Michigan Economists: Dr. Gabriel Ehrlich and Dr. Donald Grimes. Ehrlich and Grimes co-authored this year’s Economic Outlook Summary, which compiled highly-detailed data on job growth, population trends, and economic forecasts as far ahead as 2019.

According to the report, Oakland County has added an average of 15,771 jobs per year since 2009. In 2016, in-county employers added 16,475 new jobs, an overall increase of 2.3%. 2016’s growth rate surpassed the numbers for both 2014 and 2015, which saw increases of 1.9% and 2.1%, respectively. Continue reading →