Universities have aggressively expanded medical schools with the hope that could curb a looming doctor shortage. Instead, the shortage worsened as newly licensed doctors left Michigan.
Michigan worker vacancies
In this occasional series, we examine the scope of critical worker shortages in 2023, from doctors and police officers to math teachers and social workers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Primary-care doctor shortages cut deep in Michigan's underserved areas
More than 1 in 4 Michiganders live in an area with a shortage of health providers. Primary care is among the worst hit.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Better retiree benefits can help fix Michigan’s employee shortage
Restoring pension and retiree health-care benefits will go a long way toward recruiting and retaining more teachers and the employees necessary to provide government services in Michigan.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan has plenty of jobs. Too bad workers find so many boring, study finds
Michigan has a persistent worker shortage, but many are in fields that workers consider dead dull, according to an MSU study that could close the gap in skills training.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Revisiting failed policies isn't the answer to Michigan’s nursing shortage
Mandating nurse-to-patient ratios in Michigan hospitals could have dire effects for patients, and it will not solve the workforce shortage.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan is spending to fill critical worker gaps. Here’s what’s needed
Some worker shortages hurt more than others, and state leaders are rushing to try to make it easier to fill vacancies from paramedics to special ed teachers.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan has just half the child psychiatrists it needs amid health crisis
Child psychiatrists oversee the care and medication of some of the most complex mental health cases. And yet Michigan has only about half the specialists it needs amid a surge in anxiety and depression among young people.
Posted inTalent & Education
Finding a fix for Michigan’s special education teacher shortage
Michigan schools do not have enough special education teachers, leaving many students without the services they need. Higher pay may help, as would lowering barriers for college students to teach in the speciality.
Posted inTalent & Education
How Michigan schools are trying to attract 1,000 or more new bus drivers
The state is pumping millions of dollars into the education budget to help school districts fill bus driver vacancies. Even so, pay remains a hurdle, so some districts offer gas cards, rideshares and public transport options.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Wine apprenticeships? Michigan’s worker shortage makes businesses get creative
Tired of not finding trained workers, some Michigan businesses are using state funding to grow their own with apprenticeships.