The annual economic forecast issued Friday from the University of Michigan concludes that Michigan will start to see a modest growth in jobs in 2011. The reports, issued by the U-M Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics, projects that some 24,500 new jobs will be added in 2011 and it foresees another 63,000 jobs added in 2012.

The economic researchers said the job growth will be modest, but represents a turnabout from the decline seen for the past several years.

“It is our sense that we are now approaching the turning point from negative to positive net job creations,” said George Fulton, director of the UM Research Seminar. “An upward turn in the state macroeconomy has been long awaited and would be welcome news indeed, but we must keep in mind that the event will not usher in a changing tide for many of Michigan’s struggling residents.”

Mr. Fulton said that the state’s manufacturing sector is finally realizing small, but significant, gains in employment and this is leading the overall economic turnaround.

The economists also issued their forecasts for projected state revenues for the 2011-12 fiscal year. They concluded that the general fund revenue is expected to total $7.19 billion, down 2.2 percent from the current fiscal year and the School Aid Fund is projected to total $11.03 billion, an increase of 1.4 percent.