Denver manufacturing job losses: We're 45th!

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Throughout the ongoing economic downturn, the Denver Business Journal has tried to look for upbeat stories to counterbalance the most dismal reports. But one of the latest has a small nugget of compensation built in. "Denver Loses 6,900 Manufacturing Jobs in Five Years" puts its worst news right in the headline. However, a subsequent roster of the top labor markets, in which Denver ranks 45th out of 100 in terms of manufacturing-job shortfalls, puts this number in context -- sort of. The digits, which range from Detroit's loss of over 118,000 gigs to Houston's gain of 21,500, represent raw totals as opposed to percentages of manufacturing jobs in a given community. As a result, Denver's situation may actually be better off than it seems in comparison with other places around the country. More good news? Or just the less-bad kind?