Perhaps no other state in the America took a worse hit during the Great Recession than Michigan, where the Big Three automakers teetering on the brink of bankruptcy were rescued by the U.S. government, unemployment hit a staggering 14.2 percent and tax cuts replenished a state rainy day fund that had run dry. What a difference a few years make.

One of America's "comeback states, Michigan led the nation in new manufacturing jobs for the fourth straight year, according to the 2015 Michigan Manufacturers Directory, an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers' News Inc. Michigan manufacturers added 14,089 jobs from February 2014 to February 2015, an increase of 2.1 percent, compared with the national average increase of 1.7 percent for the same period.

"Michigan's industrial base has achieved a remarkable turnaround following the recession's steep losses, particularly in the all-important auto sector," said Tom Dubin, president of Manufacturers News. "The Big Three continue to expand in the state and investment programs such as the Michigan Strategic Fund have helped fuel start-ups and innovation," he said, adding that Tesla Motor's announcement last week that it will establish a manufacturing presence in Michigan is "a definite boon to the state."

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