The Level Field Institute

Pick a make and model. See how it compares.

Answering the big question: Who supports the most U.S. jobs?

At Level Field, we believe the most accurate way to judge an automaker's contribution to the U.S. economy is to examine the number of jobs that company supports on a car-by-car basis. This number should take into consideration:

	Jobs that take place beyond the assembly line, including engineering, design, finance, and more.
	Market share—because a smaller automaker's jobs are measured against the cars it sells, rather than the jobs a larger automaker might support.

To make it easier to calculate the number of jobs supported by a particular model of car, the Level Field Institute has developed the JPC Rating.

The JPC Rating: An easy, effective way to compare.

With this new tool, you'll be able to input specific make and model information and automatically receive a JPC score. In a nutshell, the JPC Score helps you see how many U.S. workers a particular company employs for every 2,500 cars it sells here. You can then compare that company's score with its competitors—and you can see how the differences between companies change over time.

Example: It's easier to appreciate that Ford employs 80 workers for every 2,500 cars it sells than to appreciate that every one sale supports .032 jobs. At the top end, Chrysler employs 83 workers for every 2,500 cars it sells, while Ford and GM follow with 80 and 71. Toyota scores 33, while Hyundai scores 15.

Industry JPC Scores—at a glance.

Because Ford, GM and Chrysler conduct far more of their research, design, engineering, manufacturing and assembly work in the U.S. than foreign automakers do, buying a Ford, GM or Chrysler supports two to three times more jobs than buying the average foreign automobile. Some comparisons are even more striking. Buying a Ford supports more than six times more jobs than buying a Hyundai. Comparing a Honda and a Hyundai? The Honda supports over three times more jobs.

Our results may surprise some observers. First, historic buyouts at GM and Ford reduced domestic automakers' "jobs advantage" only modestly in 2007 — with domestic automakers supporting approximately 2.5 times more U.S. jobs per car than the average foreign automaker.

Even though Toyota added jobs by opening a new plant, it also relied more heavily on imports from Japan, so its JPC score dropped slightly. Honda remains the best jobs performer among major foreign automakers, employing over six times more workers per car than Hyundai and about two and a half times more workers per car than VW.

In some cases, autos assembled outside the U.S. by companies based here support significantly more U.S. jobs than autos assembled here by companies with most of their engineering, design and headquarter jobs located overseas. For example, a Ford assembled in Mexico this year will likely support approximately six times more U.S. jobs as a Hyundai assembled in Alabama.