(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/10/22) At the 2022 Michigan Occupational Outlook Conference, the Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) presented the latest round of long term statewide employment projects, with Michigan's growth from 2020 to 2030 projected at 374,930 jobs, or 8.8%.
The DTMB joined forces with the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to host the state's fifth annual conference at Schoolcraft College in Livonia.
The projections they presented found leisure and hospitality industries leading the pack with 98,320 estimated jobs added, or 30.4%.
Education and health services were close behind with 97,300 new jobs expected. Of the health services, outpatient services like ambulatory health will lead, adding around 40% of all new jobs created in the sector, said Kevin Doyle, analytics manager for the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives (LMISI) within the DTMB.
Many high growth rates in top sectors are the result of pandemic recovery, Doyle said.
Other sectors of the market have been greatly affected by new technology and Michigan's aging population, which has resulted in an accelerating move from brick and mortar retail, he added. As the large Michigan population cohort of baby boomers ages out of the workforce, further employment growth may be difficult to achieve without a labor force increase.
But sales and related occupations are up 3% and 12,030 jobs, though office and administrative support occupations are not projecting growth.
Other Michigan occupations are in decline, such as farming, fishing and forestry.
In addition, mining is expected to lose 730 jobs, a decline of just around 2%.
At the conference, the interdepartmental collaboration also released Michigan's Career Outlook, a list of the highest demand jobs based on education level, and Michigan's Hot 50, with the top high-demand, high-wage careers through 2030. The brochure includes projected annual openings, hourly wage range, job growth information and the education or training level required.
Of the Michigan's Career Outlook list, architectural and engineering managers were projected to make the most at $58 to $78 per hour and 860 annual openings. The career has a growth rate of 8.2% and was placed in the STEM category. Nurse practitioners have the highest growth rate of 50.7%, with 595 annual openings earning $48 to $60 hourly, although that position requires a Bachelor's degree or higher.
When looking at growth by educational group, jobs requiring an Associate's degree or long-term training were projected to grow by 10.2%, while those requiring four year degrees were expected to rise 9.8%.
Jobs requiring high school diplomas are also being driven by recovery from deep Covid-era declines, Doyle said.
Of Michigan's Hot 50, 37 occupations require a Bachelor's degree or higher, said Evan Linskey, research manager for the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives within the DTMB. He added that the numbers for this year are very similar to projections from two years back.
“And all occupations within our Hot 50 require at least some type of training,” he said. Seven of the jobs are listed as skilled trades, seven are in STEM and 13 require more than a high school diploma but less than a Bachelor's degree.
Linskey said 35 of the jobs on this year's list are repeats from the previous year, but additions include civil engineers, dental hygienists, flight attendants, human resources specialists and police officers.
The highest paying occupation on the list is, like Michigan's Career Outlook, architectural and engineering managers, while sales representatives of non-technical goods have the most job openings at 8,240. That industry is growing by 9.6% and reps make between $21 and $40 on average hourly.
The wide range of career options that require some sort of training highlight the need to prioritize education across the state, said Susan Corbin, director of LEO.
“LEO has worked closely with our friends at LMISI to monitor the latest economic data that shapes our programs and policy recommendations,” Corbin said.
She said the strong bipartisan budget will help increase access to education and close the skills gap, along with programs like Futures for Frontliners, which was launched in 2020 to provide scholarship funding for frontline workers. Corbin said 26,000 workers have been enrolled, and 2,000 are already receiving degrees.
She also mentioned Michigan Reconnect, a program to expand tuition free education access for adults 25 and older, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced last week has accepted 100,000 Michiganders.
But barriers still exist to keep people away from higher education, she said, including childcare and strict class schedules.
Though secondary education has not seen a decline in enrollment, the pandemic has been enlightening in terms of what higher education needs to do in terms of emphasis areas, said Jena Baker-Calloway, director of the MSU Detroit Center.
She said expanding online education and connecting with employers to see what they require are good first steps to making sure students are prepared to join the workforce.
“If we’re not doing that, then we’ve got a long way to go,” she said.
