The Southwest Michigan labor market remains troubled as the summer comes to an end, according to the monthly data report from Kinexus Group and Michigan Works. The two say while the unemployment rate stayed steady at 5.7% until the end of June, the size of the labor force remains down by more than 4,200 people. The monthly report from Kinexus found while many workers remain on the sidelines, the number of available jobs continues to increase. The report showed more than 1,600 unique postings in July of 2021, the second highest number over the last three years. All four sectors show fewer workers than pre-pandemic levels with manufacturing down 9.8% from 18 months ago, healthcare down by 703 jobs, leisure and hospitality down a whopping 23%, and agribusiness down 11%. Kinexus CEO Todd Gustafson said the region is “seeing continued labor force disengagement, which could mean more supply chain problems, and a bumpy economic road ahead.” Kinexus says employers are offering more hiring incentives than ever to get more workers.
