A new economic impact study suggests every job at GM translates to more than six additional jobs in the automotive industry. Adobe stock photo

By Joe Ulery
Indiana News Service

General Motors is touting its return to the top in 2022 as the largest automotive manufacturer in America while it also takes a victory lap to remind Hoosiers of the “integral” role it plays in Indiana’s economy.

Cheryl McCarron, director of communication relations for General Motors, said the automaker employs 6,100 employees here but the study reveals each job spins off additional jobs in the sector.

“Part of what Oxford Economics does, they [ask] how many jobs do those 6,100 impact. There’s a jobs multiplier in Indiana of 4.8 – a ripple effect on nearly 30,000 other jobs supported in Indiana – so that’s kind of surprising,” she explained.

GM announced last month plans for an additional 1,600 jobs in New Carlisle at its new $3.5-billion electric vehicle battery plant.

McCarron added GM invested more than $114-million in Indiana in 2022, had a GDP impact of $4.6-billion, paid $791-million in taxes and managed to make a difference with nonprofits in local communities.

“Last year we gave over $880,000 to Indiana nonprofits,” she said. “Fort Wayne, for example, our largest footprint in Indiana, in the last four years has donated over $600,000 in the Fort Wayne community to local nonprofits.”

Indiana is home to a pickup truck assembly plant in Fort Wayne and operations in Bedford, Marion and Kokomo. The new battery plant is expected to be online in 2026.