Labor Economics Commons^™

20 Years Of The Kalamazoo Promise: A Visual Guide To Selected Highlights, Kathleen Bolter

Reports

No abstract provided.

Bearcat Advantage: Year Two Evaluation Report, Michelle Miller-Adams, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney, Kevin Hollenbeck

Reports

No abstract provided.

Upjohn Regional Economic Outlook, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Emily Petz

Reports

No abstract provided.

Workforce Dynamics In Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Trends, Shocks, And Projections Through 2030, Iryna V. Lendel

Presentations

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is navigating a complex economic transition shaped by demographic change, workforce aging, and sectoral concentration. While the region has experienced long-term population decline, its labor force has remained stable due to rising participation among older workers. At the same time, the U.P.’s economy remains highly concentrated in extraction, construction, and production industries. These industries offer strong wages but are sensitive to economic cycles.

This presentation highlights key findings on workforce structure, industry specialization, and the region’s capacity to respond to potential shocks, including major employer closures. Evidence shows substantial skill overlap across industries, creating opportunities for worker …

Workforce Dynamics In Michigan’S Upper Peninsula: Trends, Shocks, And Projections Through 2030, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This report examines the economic and workforce dynamics of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) through 2030, highlighting the region’s ongoing transition during population decline, workforce aging, and structural labor shortages. Despite these pressures, the U.P.’s labor force remains relatively stable due to increased participation among older workers, partially offsetting declines in prime-age cohorts. The region’s economy is highly specialized, with strong concentrations in extraction, construction, and production industries—sectors that offer high wages but are vulnerable to cyclical economic downturns.

Using a combination of demographic analysis, occupational data, and industry projections, the study identifies significant skill overlap across key industries, suggesting potential …

Updated Kalamazoo County Housing Plan 2025, Emily Petz, Val Klomparens, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams

Reports

A healthy housing continuum provides homes for those in a range of incomes or in different life situations. Kalamazoo County has a shortage of housing units at multiple price points. Low rates of construction, high construction costs, increased demand from a growing population, and housing costs that are increasing faster than wages have contributed to the shortage and affordability issues. This update completed in Spring of 2025 includes new housing assessment and demand numbers to incorporate the impact of the Ford BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall. The demand shows a total of 8,000 units are needed by 2030. If all …

Berrien County Talent Ecosystem, Lee Adams, Val Klomparens

Reports

No abstract provided.

An Economic Impact Analysis Of Rx Kids In Flint, Michigan, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Iryna V. Lendel, Sevrin Williams

Reports

No abstract provided.

Ten Lessons In Public–Private Partnerships To Create Good Jobs, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

Upper Peninsula Regional Economic Development Strategy, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Gerrit Anderson, Sevrin Williams

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

This comprehensive report describes the economy of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, outlining both persistent issues and emerging opportunities. The region faces several structural challenges, including a decline in prime-age workers and bachelor’s degree attainment that falls below state and national averages, while shortages in housing and healthcare further limit its ability to attract and retain residents. Despite those challenges, the U.P.’s universities, longstanding industries, abundant natural resources, and robust outdoor recreation economy provide strong foundations for future development. The report recommends strategies such as strengthening retention of the talent pipeline, expanding housing and healthcare capacity, fostering small and mid-sized firms in …

Short-Run Fiscal Effects Of Expanding Michigan's Preschool Program To Be Universal, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

This policy paper provides some updated estimates of the short-run fiscal effects of expanding Michigan’s state-funded preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), to encompass universal access for Michigan’s four-year-olds. This is an update to Policy Paper No. 2025-034, which analyzed the economic and fiscal effects of Michigan’s current GSRP program as compared to the state having no program. The update takes advantage of a high-quality recent study of the economic effects of universal preschool programs in nine states, authored by Jackson, Turner, and Bastian (2025). Using the estimated economic effects of universal preschool from this recent study, …

Bearcat Advantage: Year One Evaluation Report, Michelle Miller-Adams, Kevin Hollenbeck, Bridget Timmeney, Kyle Huisman

Reports

No abstract provided.

Short-Run Economic Effects Of Michigan's State-Funded Preschool Programs, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

This policy paper estimates the short-run economic effects of the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), Michigan’s state-funded preschool program for 4-year-olds. The paper considers 15year effects on state residents’ per capita incomes due to impacts on employment rates and real wages, as well as cost-savings from free preschool and fiscal benefits due to tax base expansion. These 15-year effects ignore the program’s outcomes for child participants and focus on how the Michigan economy is affected by GSRP’s direct impacts on parents and preschool teachers. The estimates use a regional econometric model of a state’s economy, developed originally to evaluate economic …

Oshtemo Township Housing Plan 2023, Emily Petz, Dakota Mccracken, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Brian Pittelko

Reports

No abstract provided.

Resident Participation Survey, Regional And Economic Planning Services, W.E. Upjohn Institute For Employment Research

Reports

No abstract provided.

Economic Vitality Index: Mapping Michigan’S 83 Counties, Sevrin Williams, Iryna V. Lendel

Reports

No abstract provided.

Broadly Shared Local Economic Success: New Measures And New Lessons For Communities, Timothy J. Bartik

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Training Needs And Costs In Kalamazoo's Core Neighborhoods, Timothy J. Bartik, Bridget Timmeney, Zachary Brown, Gerrit Anderson, Kathleen Bolter, Nicholas Martens, Brian Pittelko

Reports

This report estimates training needs in three Kalamazoo “core neighborhoods”: the Northside, Edison, and the Eastside. Using Census data, the analysis estimates the number of people potentially needing training in these neighborhoods as between 1,254 and 2,098 individuals. This report also estimates this training population’s characteristics, including: childcare needs, lack of a household vehicle, disability, felony records, substance abuse, mental illness. All these characteristics pose challenges for many hundreds in the training population. Based on a review of prior effective “sectoral training programs”, a training program may cost $7,300 per trainee, with over two-thirds of this cost due to various …

Projecting The Demand For Workers In The Production Of Lithium-Ion Batteries In The United States, Erik Vasilauskas, Dakota Mccracken, Michael Horrigan

Reports

No abstract provided.

Employment, Income, And Poverty In Kalamazoo City Core Neighborhoods, Val Klomparens

Reports

This report employs a traditional methodology using American Community Survey data to examine employment, income, and poverty in three neighborhoods in Kalamazoo, Michigan: Eastside, Northside, and Edison. These neighborhoods are studied with an emphasis on eligibility status for the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, administered through the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Eastside residents are unique in that a larger share earn income through wages or employment than do Michigan residents, yet their median income falls below those at the county and state levels in a statistically significant way. The Edison neighborhood is characterized by greater income inequality than the other …

Scoring Soar, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

This paper estimates the benefits and costs of the incentive package provided to the proposed Ford battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. This project, announced in February 2023, involves a state and local business incentive package whose undiscounted value is $1.7 billion, and which is awarded to a plant that will eventually create 2,500 permanent jobs. The incentive package is analyzed using the Bartik Benefit-Cost Model of Incentives. The model’s estimates suggest that the incentive package has economic benefits whose present value is over 1.8 times the project’s incentive costs. Most of these benefits are higher earnings per capita for Michigan …

Neighborhoods Of Kalamazoo: Summary Of Land Parcels, Val Klomparens

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Southwest Michigan Wage And Benefits Survey: Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, And Branch Counties, Dakota Mccracken, Val Gipper, Michael Horrigan

Reports

No abstract provided.

Michigan Unemployment Insurance: Background For Planning Analysis, Christopher J. O'Leary

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Aligning Kresa Efe/Cte Course Offerings With Local Business Needs: Results Of Two Studies, W.E. Upjohn Institute For Employment Research

Reports

No abstract provided.

Housing Profiles, Emily Petz, Lee Adams, Gerrit Anderson, Brian Pittelko, Kathleen Bolter

Reports

No abstract provided.

Kalamazoo County Housing Plan, Emily Petz, Lee Adams, Gerrit Anderson, Dakota Mccracken, Brian Pittelko

Reports

A healthy housing continuum provides homes for those in a range of incomes or in different life situations. Kalamazoo County has a shortage of housing units at multiple price points. Low rates of construction, high construction costs, increased demand from a growing population, and housing costs that are increasing faster than wages have contributed to the shortage and affordability issues. Fortunately, many strategies are available to help alleviate some of the housing concerns found in the county. These strategies are most effective when community partners band together and implement them as a cohesive unit.

St. Joseph County 2021 Housing Plan, Molly Trueblood, Lee Adams, Gerrit Anderson

Reports

No abstract provided.

Montcalm And Ionia Counties Housing Plan, Emily Petz, Lee Adams, Gerrit Anderson, Dakota Mccracken, Brian Pittelko

Reports

No abstract provided.

Economic Impact Of The Montcalm County Wind Energy Project, Jim Robey

Reports

No abstract provided.