The high cost of childcare and limited state aid has shrunk the workforce. In a rare area of bipartisan consensus, Democrats and Republicans are working to boost pay and subsidies.
Coronavirus Michigan
Posted inBusiness Watch
Rising wages, few workers: A small town in Michigan adjusts to the new economy
Fewer workers mean big changes across Michigan, as hourly wages reach new peaks to lure employees. But people also want more from how they earn a living, like flexibility and satisfaction. The result is creating new pressures that won’t end soon.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
University of Michigan flu outbreak prompts worries of statewide jump
Flu season ignites in southeast Michigan with more than 500 cases — enough to bring CDC staff on-site to monitor and assist, and resurrecting fears among health officials of a COVID and flu “twindemic” this winter.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan schools are closing because of staff shortages. Get used to it.
School buildings are closing for the same reasons as restaurants, and there doesn’t appear to be a quick solution to not enough bus drivers, teacher aides and other workers
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Hospitals filling up as Michigan records highest COVID case rate in U.S.
Doctors warn of dangerous days ahead as the state’s hospitals care for more than 3,200 patients with COVID for the first time since early May. That’s a 40-percent jump in two weeks.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Could COVID pills help turn the pandemic tide in Michigan?
The FDA considers the first of two drugs this month. If they live up to their hype, the drugs by Merck and Pfizer could save lives. But some worry that they could be another reason to skip a vaccine.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
'Are you vaccinated?' and other new Thanksgiving traditions in Michigan
Can the virus spread when we share green bean casserole? Is there a COVID test etiquette? What about masks? Infectious-disease experts — and two veterans in calming explosive conversations — weigh in.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan is sending a $1,000 ‘thank you’ to early educators. Is it enough?
Many early educators in Michigan will soon receive $1,000 bonuses, a ‘thank you’ to thousands of workers across the state who stuck with challenging, low-paid, and essential jobs through the scariest days of the pandemic.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan GOP backs lawsuit to block Biden vaccine mandate
COVID-19 policies have already hurt Michigan businesses, and “the federal government getting further into their underwear is unnecessary, unwarranted, unproductive and indefensible,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said Wednesday.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID shots for young kids adds confusion to Michigan school mask mandates
Some local health departments plan to rescind mask orders over the holidays, while others have mandates that will stick around until COVID transmission levels drop.