Report: Economy Flattening, Concerns Rise Over Employment Picture

GRAND RAPIDS — West Michigan manufacturers continue to signal a slowing economy as Grand Valley State University’s closely watched monthly purchasing managers survey showed continued softness and increased caution.

“We are well aware that the office furniture business remains soft, and we had hoped that the pent-up demand in automotive would help keep the West Michigan economy afloat, even if other economic segments soften,” said Brian Long, the survey’s author and director of supply chain management research at the Seidman College of Business. “Although one month does not make a trend, we now need to be a little more cautious going forward.”

Survey author expects unemployment could rise by summer amid uncertainty in manufacturing

While some key survey measures in the Current Business Trends report Long titled “Return to Flat Growth” saw little movement from the data released in April, the employment and production indices were lower than last month’s more rosy outlook.

Long said while the percentage of companies indicating they are adding jobs remained positive, there could be clouds on the horizon.

“Based on the current state of the economy, we can expect the unemployment rate for West Michigan to begin rising late in the summer,” he wrote.

Here’s a look at the key index results from April’s survey of West Michigan manufacturers: