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May 2013

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Employment Numbers


Labor force
 

Feb 2012 = 82,134
Feb 2013 = 83,440
Mar 2012 = 82,500
Mar 2013 = 83,500
Apr 2012 = 81,700
Apr 2013 = 83,900

 

 

Employment

Feb 2012 = 74,159
Feb 2013 = 75,756
Mar 2012 = 74,572
Mar 2013 = 76,500
Apr 2012 = 74,800 
Apr 2013 = 77,100

   


Employment by Sector

Goods Producing  
Feb 2012 = 13,600
Feb 2013 = 14,400
Mar 2012 = 13,900
Mar 2013 = 14,500
Apr 2012 = 14,200
Apr 2013 = 14,800



Service Providing
 
Feb 2012 = 45,600
Feb 2013 = 46,500
Mar 2012 = 45,800
Mar 2013 = 46,700
Apr 2012 = 46,200 
Apr 2013 = 47,000



Business Counseling Appointments 

SCORE & MI-SBTDC

Mar 2012 = 33
Mar 2013 = 44
Apr 2012 = 33
Apr 2013 = 42



Home Sales  

Mar 2012 = 165
Mar 2013 = 172
Apr 2012 = 149
Apr 2013 = 170
 

 

 

Average Sale Price
Mar 2012 = $73,381
Mar 2013 = $94,618
Apr 2012 = $75,894
Apr 2013 = 
$100,845

 

 

Airport Traffic

Takeoffs & Landings
Mar 2012 = 3,184 
Mar 2013 = 2,464
Apr 2012 = 2,641 
Apr 2013 = 2,129



Airport Cargo in lbs.
Mar 2012 = 3
Mar 2013 = 5,230
Apr 2012 = 85 
Apr 2013 = 2,027
    



Commercial Passengers
Mar 2012 = 3,266
Mar 2013 = 3,514
Apr 2012 = 3,119 
Apr 2013 = 2,880



MI Works! Employment Stats

Job Orders
Mar 2012 = 46
Mar 2013 = 97
Apr 2012 = 16
Apr 2013 = 98



Job Seekers
Mar 2012 = 10,946
Mar 2013 = 7,986
Apr 2012 = 9,683 
Apr 2013 = 8,492



Employers seeking employees
Mar 2012 = 25
Mar 2013 = 19
Apr 2012 = 63 
Apr 2013 = 26




Statistics provided by:
The Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth; Local Municipalities, The Michigan Association of Realtors, the Muskegon County Airport, Muskegon Area First, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Works! Muskegon/Oceana and the Small Business Technology & Development Center.
Check out County's latest HOT JOBS!

Local Manufacturing Success Story!

BagSavr+

Products That Work, LLC is working with Camcar Plastics Inc. and Viking Tool and Engineering here in West Michigan to produce the new BagSavr+ which is a new patent-pending container engineered specifically to make reusing your plastic grocery store bags easy and convenient. The new nationwide product is set to begin production in the next few weeks.
BagSavr+

 

"The BagSavr+ truly is a win-win-win for the environment, for families finding a convenient way to save money, and for supporting Michigan manufacturing," says product inventor, Gabriel Beversluis.

Camcar Plastics President, Courtney Gust said, "If this product takes off, not only will it mean good things for consumers and the environment, I will also be investing in more machinery and more employees, right here in West Michigan." 

Right now 90% of Americans reuse plastic bags for a variety of purposes and over 60% of Americans already reuse them for garbage. The BagSavr+ was designed so that everyone can easily re-use free plastic bags in every room of the house.

Click here to watch a short video about this unique "made in Muskegon" product. 

Muskegon County Tourism Grows

Attendees at the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce's May Business for Breakfast program heard how the State of Michigan's Pure Michigan tourism campaign and the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau's Midwest marketing is paying off for Muskegon County.

 

Muskegon County Ads

In the past two years, Muskegon County has ranked 12th in leisure travel
spending for the state with more than $260 million being spent
on leisure travel each year. The amount of accommodations tax revenue collected by the County Convention and Visitors Bureau has been trending up for several years as well.  This year, the tax collections are currently up 4% for the same time period in 2012. Muskegon's tourism website, www.visitmuskegon.org, is also seeing substantial growth in traffic with a 66% increase in visits from last year.

 

The Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau partners with Travel Michigan and Michigan Beachtowns to enhance marketing throughout the Midwest. Muskegon County Community Development Director, Bob Lukens, shared some of the popular Tim Allen Pure Michigan commercials that are being played throughout the Midwest promoting Muskegon. 

 

Click to hear the winter radio ad.  Click to hear the summer ad. 

pure michigan Pure Michigan, which promotes the state throughout the country's largest metro areas and internationally in Canada and various places in Europe, was recently ranked sixth by Forbes on the list of the top all-time best tourism promotion campaigns. In 2012, Pure Michigan won five Mercury Awards for excellence and creative accomplishment in state/ territory destination marketing. The campaign won so many awards that the rules were changed so that no more than two Mercury Awards could be given to one state in a single year.  Dave Lorenz, Travel Michigan Industry Relations and International Marketing Manager, said that they joke in Lansing that this new rule is called the "Pure Michigan rule".

 

While both Pure Michigan and the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau look to increase their marketing budgets next year, Muskegon County should expect to see even more visitors over the next few years. 

Local Runs/Walks Showing Growth... 

This year has shown an increase in the number and attendance of runs and walks taking place throughout the community. 

girls on the run

Taking place on May 4 was the first ever Earth, Wind and Tired 5K at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex.This new race was an endurance race on a course said to be "12,000 years in the making". 


Also earlier this month, nearly 2,000 parents and spectators came to see 1,069 girls, in the third through eighth grade, run together for the annual Girls on the Run 5K. Melissa Reid, Director of the Council for Girls on the Run for Muskegon County said they saw growth in the amount of participation this year.  "We had 88% of all Muskegon County schools participating this year in Girls on the Run compared to 80% last year."

2013 Runs and WalksThe Mercy Health Seaway Run, scheduled for June 21 and 22 is experiencing substantial growth this year as the event adds the county's only 25K. "We already have almost 400 people registered for the first ever 25K," said Lisa Sabourin, President of the Employers Association of W. Michigan. "Last year we almost doubled our record attendance from 1,600 to 2,900 and we are currently seeing registrations coming in doubling that of last year!"  The Seaway Run has also enhanced their website and the health and fitness expo taking place on June 21. The health and fitness expo had ten exhibitors in 2011 and twenty in 2012, and now has over 35 for the 2013 event! 

The Employers Association of W. Michigan is challenging companies to get 21% of the workforce to participate in this year's Seaway Run. Click here for the employers checklist, or contact Lisa Sabourin directly for more ideas on how to engage your employees in workplace wellness plans and events.


This report it brought to you by: 
Muskegon Area First, Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and the Employer's Association of West Michigan

380 W. Western Avenue, Suite 202
Muskegon, MI 49440