MI Annual Workforce Report 2017

Online job ads for occupations related to lightweighting in Michigan declined by about 19 percent between Q3 2017 and Q4 2017, from 33,637 postings to 27,372. Compared to Q4 2016, postings have fallen by about 6 percent from 29,090 postings. Posting levels tend to fluctuate over the course of a year, with a spike in postings during Q1. Overall, employer demand for workers with lightweighting-related skills seems to be slowing in Michigan, but this is not reflected in the steady growth in employment. 2017 marked the eighth consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Michigan, since the Great Recession in 2009. In 2009, only 535,000 Michigan workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2017, employment reached nearly 700,000.