Smart, resourceful and hardworking — Michiganders fit the mold

Michigan’s unemployment rate in July dropped to 3.8 percent — the lowest rate since 2000.
We know what followed, and the great challenges our state faced. The prolonged period of high unemployment rates was very difficult for many Michiganders. But we are resourceful, smart, we’re hardworking and we always pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.
Under Gov. Snyder’s leadership, we have reinvented Michigan. We’ve come a long way in just a few short years. We’ve created a business climate where companies can grow and thrive, and our economy is on the rise. We can do even better.
There is one obstacle that seems to still linger in the rear-view mirror; our talent gap.
Despite the low unemployment rate, the number of job openings posted on MiTalent.org is near 100,000. Our employers need people with in-demand skills, and our talent gap is Michigan’s greatest threat to continued economic prosperity. We need to fix that.
We know one key area where we are lacking talent is in the professional trades. I’ve talked about these Professional Trades before — so, what are they?
Professional Trades are career opportunities in industries like advanced manufacturing, automotive, construction, health care or information technology. And they aren’t just growing, they’re thriving. And there are many great opportunities for good jobs in those fields.
By 2024, Professional Trades will account for more than 500,000 jobs in our state’s economy, with 15,000 new job openings expected annually. And the best part yet, the average wage for these highly-demanded careers is 45 percent higher than other occupations.
It’s clear, one way we can fill this increasing talent gap is by helping educate our young people on the vast rewarding opportunities in the Professional Trades. I believe that the talent gap is caused by a career awareness gap. That opportunity starts with changing the conversation around these great careers and helping highlight the pathways into these incredible opportunities starting in middle and high school.
Not everyone will want to choose this pathway. But Michiganders are smart, resourceful and hardworking — all characteristics of the men and women in the Professional Trades.
So, let’s get to work on building a stronger and more robust workforce that is ready to catapult Michigan into sustained economic prosperity, and continue to shatter decreasing unemployment rates along the way.
Learn more about the career opportunities in the Professional Trades at www.going-pro.com.
