Economists predict growth in 7-county region in Michigan

FLINT, Mich. (AP) - University of Michigan economists are predicting job growth for the region including Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Shiawassee counties.

George Fulton and Don Grimes of the Ann Arbor school's Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, and the Economy said the areas will gain more than 76,000 jobs this year through 2015. They issued the annual forecast Thursday for the Economic Growth Alliance, a partnership that includes the counties.

They say the region will add 17,600 jobs this year, 27,200 jobs in 2014 and 31,600 jobs in 2015. That comes after a gain of nearly 75,000 jobs over the past three years.

Fulton and Grimes say that the job growth will be accompanied by slowly declining unemployment and relatively tame inflation.