How much workers made in the pandemic labor market
We have explored frequently that those with a four-year degree or more over a forty-year career work more and earn more than those with less education attainment. One of the reasons being that those with a B.A. or more tend to keep their jobs during downturns and if they lose a job get back to work quicker following a downturn.…
Concentrating talent is the path to prosperity
The 21st Century path to prosperity––to a broad middle class––is concentrating talent. Not factory jobs. Why? Because today's mass middle class are professionals and managers who work in offices, schools and hospitals. Not production workers who work in factories. You can see that clearly in the table at the bottom of this post. We compared Michigan to three states with…
Rivian HQ and Amazon HQ2 are the path to prosperity
A year ago Rivian, often described as the Tesla of trucks, announced that they were moving their headquarters from suburban Detroit to Irvine California. The announcement received hardly any Michigan press coverage. And, even more concerning, no reaction from Michigan's political and business elites. Two years earlier Amazon announced that, despite big subsidy offers from Detroit and Grand Rapids, no…
The business case for a big Earned Income Tax Credit expansion
We have proposed a big Earned Income Tax Credit expansion. Increasing the current state match from six percent to 60 of the federal credit. Doing so would increase the average state credit from $150 to $1,500. To us it is clear, as evidenced by nearly four in ten Michigan households unable to pay for basic necessities in our robust 2019…
The urgency of imagination for schooling redesign
Success in today’s and tomorrow’s economy is largely dependent on having a set of skills that are critical in today’s workplace. At Michigan Future, we’ve been using a framework articulated by learning scientists Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff for these skills, which they define as: collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence (the "six Cs"). There are other…