DETROIT (AP) -- A regional planning agency says the automotive industry's restructuring has cut the number of manufacturing jobs in southeast Michigan by nearly half since 2000.
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments says employment in the transportation equipment manufacturing industry, comprising vehicle and parts manufacturing, has fallen by 59 percent alone.
The report released Friday says the seven-county region has lost more than 446,000 hourly and salary jobs -- an 18 percent decline in employment.
The bankruptcies of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC are expected to increase the unemployment in the region; the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate in the Detroit-Warren-Livonia labor market was 13.6 percent in April.
SEMCOG says total job losses are expected to top 11,000 in the region's auto assembly, stamping and powertrain plants.