Michigan keeps throwing confetti over “new jobs,” but the celebration feels a little hollow. Think less booming factory floor, more empty gym with one kid flexing in the mirror. The reality? Actual job creation has been sputtering, and some of the headline numbers don’t match what’s happening on the ground. Since jobs are the lifeblood of the economy, let’s cut through the hype and see what’s really going on.
Here are Five Fast Facts on Michigan's failure to create jobs:
- 📉 Michigan's Shrinking Jobs - Over the past two years, employment in Michigan dropped by 30,700 people (a 0.6% loss), while the U.S. overall went up 1.2%. If this was a sporting event, Michigan wins the “least enthusiastic team in the economy" award.
- 🥱 Ranked Very Meh - Michigan is sixth-worst in the nation for job growth over the past two years. Only Washington, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming are doing worse. Um, yay?
- 😒 Job Announcements Ain't Actual Jobs - Governor Whitmer claims “38,000 new auto jobs” have been announced, but Michigan has actually lost 9,500 auto jobs during her term. We’ve seen these broken promises before, haven’t we? Anyway, then Whitmer hopped on her unicorn and flew off to Neverneverland for tea with Alice.
- 💨 SOAR promises: Big Hype, Little Delivery - The SOAR fund (the fancy name for subsidy deals) promised 14,779 jobs and cost taxpayers $720 million, but so far hasn’t delivered any of those jobs. Zero. Zip. Nada.
- 🤔 Labor Force Fading - The number of working-age people actively seeking jobs has fallen for five months straight. Michigan lost 38,000 people in its labor force since March -- coincidentally about the same number as those 38,000 “new auto jobs” announced. Looks less like “new jobs” and more like “new hopes not 100% grounded.”
🔥Bottom line: Here’s the bottom line: Michigan talks a big game on jobs, but the scoreboard isn’t moving. Auto work is slipping away, flashy announcements keep fizzling, and the labor pool keeps shrinking. It’s the difference between a five-star menu and an empty plate. If you’re banking on a job boom, don’t just watch the press releases—watch what’s actually happening on the ground.
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