It’s not what we lost. It’s what we failed to gain.
Michigan didn’t become a low-wage state by losing manufacturing. We became a low-wage state by failing to build what came next. Lou Glazer from Michigan
July 6, 2026
Michigan didn’t become a low-wage state by losing manufacturing. We became a low-wage state by failing to build what came next. Lou Glazer from Michigan
Michigan students are increasingly being urged to pursue the skilled trades rather than a four-year degree. The pitch is some version of you can do
Post pandemic Michigan continues to have a two tiered economy. The reality is in 2024 Michigan has two labor markets, not one. One tier of
This post was originally published in November 2017. It is arguably more relevant today than then. In an article entitled Goodbye, $165,000 Tech Jobs. Student
Blue collar manufacturing jobs––officially called production jobs––are no longer high paid. In 2024 Michigan had 445,000 production jobs out of 4.39 million payroll jobs. A
Conventional wisdom has it that there are myriads of high-wage jobs that don’t require a B.A. but do require something more than a high school
As we explored in our last post conventional wisdom about the value of a B.A. in obtaining a good-paying job and having a prosperous forty-year
We have written frequently about the wage premium enjoyed by those with a four-year degree or more. And yet we continue with a public conversation
Michigan’s per capita income in 2022 was 13 percent below the national average, the lowest compared to the nation ever. The state ranked 39th. (For those
This post was originally published in November 2017. It is arguably more relevant today than then. As Farhad Manjoo details in a recent New York
July 6, 2026
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