Get More than a High School Education
That's the advice we need to be giving each and every Michigan student now, as jobs requiring only a high school diploma are about to become a relic of the past.

Our latest study shows the state is generally prepared to meet the demand for high-wage jobs over the next three years. However, the trend is changing - and fast. As soon as 2018, the best paying jobs are going to require more education and training. 

Jobs requiring only a high school diploma are expected to drop by more than 19,000, while jobs requiring an Associate's degree or higher are expected to grow by 21,000. This ground shift in workforce needs will be accelerated by demographic trends, including an aging workforce, a shrinking talent pipeline, and low educational attainment.

It truly is a perfect storm. 

To get ready to meet it, we need to ensure today's students keep learning after high school. It doesn't matter whether they pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers or advance in non-STEM disciplines-they need to pursue additional education.

Right now, many of Business Leaders for Michigan's efforts are focused on talent development. To see why, check out the full copy of our latest workforce report
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OUR EVENTS
2016 Michigan CEO Summit - Nov. 10, 2016
Registration now open! 

Listen, network and engage with top leaders at this do-not-miss event featuring a fast-paced, half-day that includes an all-star lineup of speakers, networking opportunities and cutting edge topics to help your company and MI succeed. 

Speakers and agenda coming soon!

 
EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO BUILD A NEW MICHIGAN
Immigrant talent pool can fill needs of metro Detroit employers
Talk to economic developers or business leaders and they will tell you the economic future is tied to talent. The race for highly skilled workers is more competitive than ever. This past week, five days after opening the application process, the federal government closed the window for U.S. employers to file H-1B visas for workers who could fill unmet talent needs. This is the 14th year in a row that the supply of H-1B visas has been exhausted, with 233,000 applications filed for 85,000 spots in 2015. Learn More
Pure Michigan attracts $1.4B in visitor spending
The state's "Pure Michigan" campaign attracted $1.4 billion in visitor spending in 2015.PureMichiganLogo
Research firm Longwoods International credits the state's "Pure Michigan" campaign as the catalyst for 4.6 million trips into the state by tourists in 2015 and the financial impact of those trips on the state's communities and local businesses. Additional data from Smith Travel Research show that hotel occupancy continued to climb in 2015, outpacing national growth rates.
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Positioning MI as the Global Center of Mobility

At 45 projects, MI has more on-going connected vehicle projects than any other state. Formerly the site of a plant that built bomber planes in the 1940s, Willow Run is poised to become the nation's first full-scale connected and automated vehicle testing site. In an important first step, start-up funding to assist the American Center for Mobility was approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund. Coupled with the fact that 76% of automotive related research and development in the U.S. is conducted in MI, the new mobility center further secures MI's future as a global leader in the mobility space.

The infographic to the right provides a good overview of how the Willow Run site will be transformed in the next few years in part through our leadership.  Learn More

GM deal is a big move in autonomous vehicle quest
General Motors received quick regulatory approval of its acquisition of Cruise Automation, the three-year-old start-up that has developed a "highway autopilot" product that could accelerate GM's quest for a fully autonomous car. Learn More
DATA SUPPORTING THE NEW MICHIGAN PLAN
Michigan Venture Capital Association 2016 Annual Report
Venture capital firms and angel investors in MI have firmly established 
their role in jump-starting and sustaining MI's economic recovery and they continue to build on the momentum needed to create more companies and new jobs in MI, according to the 2016 Michigan Venture Capital Association Research Report.  The in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial and investment activity in the state indicates steady and consistent growth and success in MI, in many cases outpacing national trends. Learn More
MI ranks 22nd for economic outlook; up from 24th last year 
The 9th Edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index reveals a pro-growth trend across the nation for 2016. Rich States, Poor States examines the latest movements in state economic growth. The data ranks the 2016 economic outlook of states using fifteen equally weighted policy variables, including various tax rates, regulatory burdens and labor policies. The ninth edition examines trends over the last few decades that have helped or hurt states' economies.  Learn More
MI ranked #40 best state to do business
Chief Executive's annual survey of CEO's ranked Michigan as the 40th best place to do business, up from 43rd last year.  Illustrating the need to become more competitive, Michigan  scored below average on every business climate factor surveyed.  The Top Ten states were: TX, FL, NC, TN. IN, AZ, SC GA, NV and OH.   Learn More
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR MEMBERS
Ford investing $1.4 billion in Michigan transmission plant
MLive.com | April 26, 2016  Ford Logo

Ford Motor Co. is investing $1.6 billion to upgrade manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio. In Michigan, the Livonia Transmission Plant is getting $1.4 billion of the investment, while $200 million will go to Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant. The money is part of $9 billion Ford has committed to invest in the U.S. as part of the 2015 UAW-Ford collective bargaining agreement. Learn More
GM $118m plant investment recognizes 'Excellent workforce' in Bay City
MLive.com | April 27, 2016  GM-logo

GM officials announced the automaker is going to invest $118 million into its Bay City Powertrain plant, creating 29 news jobs and retaining 67 positions. The announcement is the third major investment in the past six years. Since 2010, GM has invested about $250 million into the Bay City plant. Learn More
Detroit-based Walbridge marks 100 years of building
Detroit Free Press | April 4, 2016 

The Detroit-based Walbridge construction firm in 1982 built a big addition to Chrysler's plant in Kokomo, Ind., which produced transmissions for the automaker's important new K cars. But cash-strapped Chrysler found it lacked the money to pay Walbridge for the work. Learn More
IN THE NEWS
Groups launch Great Lakes Bay Region business program, website
Midland Daily News | May 2, 2016
Midland Daily News Logo
The Great Lakes Bay Region has a new business attraction program and website to highlight opportunities to live, work and play in the region. The Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance is launching the regional collaborative with the Arenac EDC, Bay Future, Gladwin EDC, Greater Gratiot Development, Inc., Middle Michigan Development Corp., Midland Tomorrow and Saginaw Future. Learn More
Grand Rapids ranks as No. 2 'large city to start a business' in US
GRBJ Logo
Grand Rapids Business Journal | May 2, 2016

Grand Rapids is considered one of the nation's best cities for entrepreneurship. Grand Rapids ranks No. 2 in the 2016 ranking of the "Best Large Cities to Start a Business" released by WalletHub, a personal finance website. Learn More
Howes: We're all working for tech companies now
The Detroit News | April 29, 2016

In a big company state defined by century-old names, Jim Keane is something of a revolutionary.  Or is he? The CEO of Steelcase Inc. isn't leading a dour office furniture maker these days. The company's in business to understand how the stresses of relentless competition, generational change and workforces liberated by mobile technology are changing the way the world works, the spaces they need and how CEOs lead. Literally. Learn More
National business leaders bullish on Detroit
The Detroit News | April 25, 2016

Evidence of Detroit 2.0, a city on the backside of game-changing bankruptcy, is cropping up everywhere. There's the Ilitch-led entertainment district on the west side of Woodward and soaring demand for housing from downtown to Midtown. There's the continuing clamor for office space, the profusion of restaurants, the yen to deliver yet one more hotel in a place that not too long ago had very few worthy of a major American city. Learn More
Crowdfunding platform connects student startups to alumni dollars
MiBiz.com | April 3, 2016 

A new crowdfunding platform aims to connect student entrepreneurs at colleges and universities with people willing to invest money and time in their ideas. Entrepreneurs Tom Coke and Matt Larson formed Grand Rapids-based CampusStarter LLC as a rewards-based crowdfunding platform where students can post their ideas. Prospective investors can browse the website campusstarter.co for potential investment opportunities.  Learn More

Business Leaders for Michigan
600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1760
Detroit, MI, 48243-1802
Phone: 313.259.5400
Business Leaders for Michigan, the state's business roundtable, is dedicated to making Michigan a "Top Ten" state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy. The organization is composed exclusively of the chairpersons, chief executive officers, or most senior executives of Michigan's largest companies and universities. Our members drive 32% of the state's economy, provide nearly 375,000 direct in Michigan, generate over $1 Trillion in annual revenue and serve nearly one half of all Michigan public university students. Find out more at: www.businessleadersformichigan.com. 


Business Leaders for Michigan | 600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1760 | Detroit | MI | 48243