Michigan millennials and economic decline
Interesting interactive Atlantic article on the economic well being of today’s 18-35 year olds compared to those the same age in 1980. The bottom line: Michigan’s median income for those 18-35 has fallen the most in the country from 1980-2013, down more that 26 percent. The Atlantic writes: The past is another country. In 1980, […]
Safety net + strong economy
More evidence that the conventional wisdom that a strong safety net leads to a weak economy is not accurate. As we explored previously that is one of the lessons we should learn from Minnesota. Which has a far more generous safety net than Michigan and the strongest economy in the Great Lakes in terms of […]
Net worth measured in millions
I’m reading Jonathan Clements’ Money Guide 2015. Not for work. But his first two paragraphs of the first chapter are very much about Michigan Future’s work. Clemens writes: Imagine you are a freshly minted, penniless college graduate with alarming student loans and an unhealthy credit card debt. Your net worth? It’s likely measured in the millions. […]
Young talent still leaving Michigan
Conventional wisdom is that people follow jobs. So the most effective talent attraction and retention strategy, once again according to conventional wisdom, is to create jobs. If conventional wisdom were right Michigan should have reversed the net outmigration of young professionals since the end of the Great Recession. Where we have gone from a decade […]
The non student loan crisis
The public conversation about higher education is filled with doom and gloom about recent college graduates––particularly those with four year degrees or more in non-STEM fields––because of supposedly crushing student loans combined with low salaries. Increasingly we are also being told that getting a four year degree in a non-STEM occupation is the road to […]
Another bottom ten ranking for Michigan
Education Week has just released its 2015 Quality Counts state report card. Overall Michigan ranks 32nd with a grade of C-. On K-12 education attainment Michigan ranks 42nd with a grade of D. Massachusetts is ranked first overall and in K-12 education. (For more on the differences between Michigan and Massachusetts see my previous post […]
New Michigan Future Schools report
Michigan Future Schools–-our Detroit high school initiative––has just released a report on improving college completion. Written by Patrick Cooney, our College Success Manager. Entitled “Increasing College Graduation Rates for Low-‐Income, Minority, and First-‐Gen Students: Lessons Learned from 4 Colleges That Are Doing the Work.” You can download a copy of the report here. College completion […]
A Michigan economy not working for many
Despite all the headlines and headline statistics that say that the Michigan economy is “back” the reality is that many Michiganders are worse off today than they were prior to the onset of the Great Recession. The table at the end of this post displays real median wages for all Michigan full time, year round […]
Employers solving labor shortages
Governor Snyder has made solving the so-called skilled trades shortages one of, if not, the top state economic growth priorities. He wants the education and training system to emphasize far more than today preparing students and adult job seekers for those jobs. A far more effective lever to solve labor shortages in any occupation or […]
New realities video
The core belief of Michigan Future is that because of globalization and technology, what made us prosperous in the past, won’t in the future. And that Michigan has gone from one of the most prosperous places on the planet for most of the 20th Century to one of the country’s poorest states today because we […]