What’s on our Christmas list? Six things experts say would help turn around Michigan’s dismal jobs forecast. Improve early reading Reading proficiency in early grades has a huge impact on academic success. Invest in intensive intervention as needed in schools, and encourage parents to read to their children. Decrease college dropouts Michigan is above average […]
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan’s Christmas Carol: A scary look at our jobs outlook
Continued shrinking of the state’s famed middle-class factory jobs. Fast-growing occupations that pay so little, workers may qualify for food stamps. Job growth that ranks 49th in the nation. (Illustration by AJ Jones) This is not a holiday story Gov. Rick Snyder wants to read to his children. Continued shrinking of the state’s famed middle-class […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Hot job prospects of the future
These Michigan jobs are expected to be most in demand over the next decade at each education level, from high school to graduate school. (click image below to advance through slides.) High School or less Description 2023 Jobs Projected openings over next decade % Change total jobs from 2013 Avg. Hourly Earnings Retail salespersons 139,708 […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
For career success, higher degree means higher earnings
The charts don’t lie: If you want to have a decent shot at a decent living in Michigan, you must be prepared to sit in a classroom – virtual or otherwise – the rest of your life. Standing still means falling behind – or just plain falling. “All of my kids realize they have to […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Community college degrees in demand
To see the difference between yesterday’s skilled-trade career and today’s, Michael Hansen offers what’s happening at BOSS Products, a snowplow manufacturer in Iron Mountain. The president of the Michigan Community College Association describes entering a welding shop, expecting to see “guys in hoods and greasy overalls.” Hardly. The work was done by robots, with the […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan needs more college grads to attract good jobs
Lou Glazer is president of Michigan Future Inc., a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to generate new ideas to help Michigan succeed in a knowledge-driven economy. Bridge: Michigan lost a higher percentage of jobs in the recession than other states, and Michigan is projected to gain fewer jobs than 48 states in the next decade. What’s […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
One year later, Right to Work results uncertain
Thousands of protesters converged on the state capitol in December 2012 to oppose passage of right-to-work legislation. Photo credit: Anne Savage of the Michigan Democratic Party. The predictions were both dire and dramatic. But one year after Gov. Rick Snyder signed right-to-work legislation, it has yet to prove either the body blow to labor or […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Leaving union proves challenging
Ottawa County kindergarten teacher Miriam Chanski is determined to leave the Michigan Education Association. Photo credit: Mackinac Center for Public Policy. As she completed her first year in the classroom, Ottawa County kindergarten teacher Miriam Chanski decided she could do without a union. She thought passage of right-to-work legislation last December ensured that choice. The […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Out-of-state banks rule in Michigan
Gov. Jennifer Granholm got a surprise phone call at home from Ralph Babb on a late-winter Sunday night in 2007. Babb, the CEO of Comerica Bank, stunned Granholm with news that Comerica would announce the next day that it was moving its headquarters from Detroit to Dallas. The relocation would involve only about 200 jobs, […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan’s Biggest Banks
Out-of-state banks now dominate the state, with only two Michigan-based banks among the top 12. The list below is from the Michigan Bankers Association, as of June 30. Bank nameState HQMI branchesDeposits (in billions)MI market share (by deposit)JP Morgan Chase Bank, NAOH305$3218.93%Comerica BankTX216$24.814.70%PNC Bank, NADE232$14.98.81%Bank of America, NANC193$13.78.13%Fifth Third BankOH249$137.67%Huntington National BankOH171$7.84.60%Flagstar Bank, FSBMI111$7.74.55%FirstMerit Bank, […]