MI Quarterly Workforce Report Q1 2017

Online job ads for occupations related to lightweighting in Michigan increased nearly 20 percent between Q4 2016 and Q1 2017, from 29,090 to 34,836. Compared to Q1 2016, postings have increased by almost 8 percent from 32,372 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 continues to grow steadily in Michigan. The increased demand for these workers has driven employment growth in Michigan – 2016 marked the eighth consecutive year of employment growth for lightweighting-related jobs in Michigan since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009. In 2009, only 536,000 Michigan workers were employed in lightweighting-related advanced manufacturing jobs, and in 2017, employment reached over 700,000.