One does not have to look too deeply to find imminent bright spots in Michigan employment. The Great Lakes State has been in the news almost daily this year due to the fact that its main industry, auto manufacturing, has been in turmoil. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Michigan unemployment rate in July was 15 percent, much higher than the national average of 9.4 percent. The auto industry lost almost 40,000 jobs in April and May 2009 alone, and the home construction employment level is also declining. While the collapse of the auto industry has crippled the job market, not all areas of Michigan are fairing so badly.
Michigan unemployment
Michigan unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 6% to a rate of 15.1%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Michigan Employment Opportunities
College towns report unemployment levels that are less than 10 percent with Washtenaw County, home of the University of Michigan, reporting six percent which is the lowest unemployment rate in Michigan. This is most likely due to the fact that there are many job opportunities on a college campus and a large concentration of people living there. Following suit is 35 other counties with colleges whose unemployment rate also remains below 10 percent.
Michigan employment can be found in tourism, another large industry, which has grown this year and added thousands of jobs. The Michigan employment rate is seeing growth in some other job markets including general healthcare and the need for registered nurses. Personal care, including hairdressing, has remained a popular diversion for people, so the employment rate in these fields has remained steady. Heating and air conditioning professionals as well as building maintenance and landscaping technicians are some of the few construction related jobs that remain in demand. Food preparation and wait staff personnel are always needed, as are retail and wholesale sales persons.
Michigan Employment Resources
Michigan Works (http://michiganworks.org) was established in 1987 to promote quality among the state’s workforce and is the first program of its type in the United States. Governor Jennifer Granholm has dedicated herself to solving Michigan employment problems. One program she has championed, which is available through the Michigan Works network and based on the federal No Child Left Behind Act, is the No Worker Left Behind program (www.michigan.gov/nwlb) The NWLB works with eligible candidates to prepare them for Michigan’s changing economy. A Michigan citizen is eligible for NWLB if they are unemployed or received a notice that their job is to be terminated, or if the family makes less than $40,000. Not only does this program encourage high school students to go on to higher education with money from the Michigan Promise Scholarship (www.Michigan.gov/promise), it offers free tuition for college or a technical training program to the older workforce.
Military veterans will find an aid to Michigan employment when visiting http://www.michigan.gov/jobs and clicking on the “Veteran’s Employment Services” link. Michigan employers know that a vet will bring leadership, teamwork and respect to the job.
Michigan Living Conditions
Michigan employment has affected home sales in a significant way. Due to foreclosures and the mass exodus of jobseekers, the housing market is in a tailspin. The average real estate forecast for Detroit is -24.3%. In the non-auto industry dependent parts of the state, statistics show the market is not as deflated because Michigan employment is easier to come by in those areas. This includes the upper portions of the Lower Peninsula as well as touristy parts of the Upper Peninsula. The Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas are also doing quite well.
The future of Michigan employment may lie in green technology. Solar energy, wind power and other types of renewable energy are what some hope to be the future of Michigan’s economy. Michigan employment will increase as these fields grow. While estimates expect that around 70 percent of the green power will come from wind turbines, hydropower and biomass are also things to be considered.
The Michigan landscape is incredibly beautiful, with something for everyone. Sand dunes dot the Lake Michigan shoreline and thick conifer and birch forest covers the inland. Glaciers pressed the Saginaw Valley flat yet the Porcupine Mountains rise to 1979 feet in the Upper Peninsula. Summertime yields the perfect temperatures to enjoy the 3288 miles of shoreline and the winter averages over 80 inches of snow for use on the dozens of ski resorts throughout Michigan. The northern portion of the Lower Peninsula runs along the 45th parallel, the same as the famous wine growing regions of northern Italy and southern France, and has acres upon acres of vineyards that are beginning to earn international acclaim.
Michigan charges a variety of taxes but they are in the middle of the board across the United States. There is a single sales tax rate of 6 percent and the cigarette tax is $2.00. The personal tax rate is 4.35 percent and is scheduled to go down to 3.95 percent over the next several years. In addition, the Michigan employment rules indicate that if an employer has 2 or more employees who are 16 years or older, they must be paid Michigan’s minimum wage of $7.40 per hour, which is a full 85 cents higher than the federal minimum wage.
Michigan Employment
Whether searching for Michigan employment or simply a nice place to retire or vacation, the Michigan motto “Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice” says it all. It translates to “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”. Michigan employment figures may not be popular in the news in 2009, but the recession the locals are facing will be over soon as the new industries grab hold and flourish.
