Amazon says no to Michigan for HQ2. We aren’t surprised.
Michigan’s two big metros not being selected as finalist for the Amazon’s HQ2 should not surprise anyone. Amazon made clear that it wanted—really needed—to locate in a community with high talent concentrations today and tomorrow. Neither metro Detroit nor metro Grand Rapids are competitive talent magnets. The reality is that in the growing high wage […]
An expanded safety net for a disruptive economy
Policymakers in both Lansing and Washington seem hellbent on slashing the safety net. In part, they argue, because a too generous safety net gives folks an incentive not to work. The evidence suggests the opposite. As we detail in our Minnesota policy case study, Minnesota has by far the highest proportion of adults who work […]
Google finds STEM skills aren’t the most important skills
Terrific Washington Post column on research done by Google on the skills that matter most to its employees success. Big surprise: it wasn’t STEM. The Post writes: Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both brilliant computer scientists, founded their company on the conviction that only technologists can understand technology. Google originally set its hiring algorithms to sort for […]
The path to good-paying careers without a BA ain’t what you think
In 1999 Michigan Future, Inc. did research to identify the pathway young adults in metro Detroit without a four-year degree took to obtaining good-paying jobs. The research involved both focus groups and phone interviews. The core finding of that research was that the predominate path to good-paying jobs for those without a four-year degree is […]
California more prosperous, Kansas less prosperous
Over the past decade or so we have been writing a lot about California and Kansas. Because California in the 00s was considered in permanent decline and then with the election of Jerry Brown as Governor in 2010 went all in on a big tax increase and expanded public investments. Kansas because it took the […]
Bridge Magazine on Michigan’s talent gap
If you haven’t seen it, check out Bridge’s Why Michigan needs newcomers. Told in 5 data maps. The maps and accompanying article clearly make the case why retaining and attracting college educated adults––particularly recent college graduates––should be an economic development priority for the state. Why? Because the proportion of adults with a four-year degree or […]
Michigan employment and earnings by education attainment
Every year the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a table showing the national unemployment rate and median earnings from work by education attainment. Every year we write a blog about it. It, of course, is more evidence that those with a four-year degree earn more and work more. We write about it all the time […]
Tax policy that is anti talent development
Most of the analysis of the proposed sweeping changes to the nation’s tax system have focused on who wins and who loses. Companies vs. individuals. The rich vs. the middle class vs. low income households. This, of course, matters enormously. But in this post I want to focus on a different set of winners and […]
Declining blue-collar employment 2006-2026
The basic change in the economy we have been documenting for more than two decades is the transition from a factory-based to a knowledge-based economy. More broadly from a goods-producing to a service-providing economy. One where good-paying jobs are now concentrated in knowledge-based services. The new 2016-2026 employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics […]
Only high school required dominates new job projections
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) just released their job projections for 2016-2026. The Atlantic did a good overview article of the data entitled Why Nerds and Nurses are Taking Over the U.S. Economy. The BLS also did a summary analysis of the data. Both are worth checking out. What I want to focus on […]