AI, health care, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades dominate Michigan’s new Hot 50 forecast — offering a road map to where the state’s economy is heading.
LANSING — Michigan’s economy may increasingly run on artificial intelligence, automation and massive computing power. But somebody still has to build it, wire it, repair the machinery and keep the lights on.
Michigan’s new forecast of its 50 hottest occupations through 2034 reveals an economy that will need two very different kinds of workers.
The state needs more data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, software developers, engineers and health-care professionals.
But it also expects thousands of annual openings for electricians, construction workers, industrial machinery mechanics, HVAC technicians, plumbers and truck drivers — jobs that generally don’t require a four-year college degree.
That may be one of the most important messages buried inside the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics’ new Michigan’s Hot 50 Job Outlook.
The report, based on Michigan’s 2024-2034 long-term employment projections, identifies occupations offering a favorable combination of projected growth, annual openings and wages.
Taken together, the 50 jobs provide a glimpse of what Michigan’s economy could look like a decade from now.
And it won’t all require a bachelor’s degree.
Good Jobs Without Four Years Of College
For decades, the conventional advice for young people seeking a well-paying career has been straightforward: Go to college and earn a four-year degree.
Michigan’s employment forecast paints a more complicated picture.
Electricians are projected to have about 2,450 openings every year through 2034.
Industrial machinery mechanics account for another 1,900 annual openings, while heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers are projected to have about 1,360.
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters account for another 1,145 openings annually.
Most of those occupations rely heavily on apprenticeships, technical education, credentials or extensive on-the-job training rather than a bachelor’s degree.
And the pay can be substantial.
Electrical power-line installers and repairers, for example, have a projected Michigan wage range of roughly $41 to $60 an hour.
The state’s forecast suggests apprenticeships, community colleges, technical schools and career-and-technical education could become every bit as important to Michigan’s economic future as four-year universities.
AI Jobs Are Growing Fast
That doesn’t mean college degrees are becoming irrelevant.
Quite the opposite.
Some of Michigan’s fastest-growing occupations require considerable education and specialized technical skills.
Data scientists are projected to grow 28.3 percent through 2034, with roughly 600 openings annually and a projected wage range of about $37 to $63 an hour.
Information security analysts are projected to grow 21.8 percent.
Software developers aren’t growing quite as quickly in percentage terms — 7.7 percent — but the occupation’s size means Michigan expects about 2,445 openings every year.
Computer and information systems managers are projected to grow 9.9 percent, producing approximately 1,240 openings annually.
Those occupations take on additional importance as Michigan pushes deeper into artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and data-intensive industries.
But there’s an important connection between Michigan’s digital economy and its skilled-trades economy.
AI may run the computers.
Electricians still have to connect the power.
10 Michigan Jobs To Watch Through 2034
Occupation Annual Openings Projected Growth Heavy Truck Drivers 6,650 2.0% Registered Nurses 6,505 8.3% Construction Laborers 3,110 5.1% Electricians 2,450 5.6% Software Developers 2,445 7.7% Industrial Engineers 2,035 5.7% Industrial Machinery Mechanics 1,900 13.0% Medical & Health Services Managers 1,650 25.1% Nurse Practitioners 770 41.5% Data Scientists 600 28.3% Source: Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, Michigan’s Hot 50 Job Outlook, 2024-2034 projections.
The annual openings include both newly created positions and jobs that must be filled because existing workers leave an occupation, including through retirement. They should not be interpreted as entirely new jobs.
Health Care May Be The Biggest Growth Story
For all the attention surrounding artificial intelligence, some of Michigan’s most dramatic employment growth is expected in health care.
Nurse practitioners lead the Hot 50 with projected employment growth of 41.5 percent through 2034.
Medical and health services managers are projected to grow 25.1 percent.
Physical therapist assistants are projected to increase 23.2 percent, while physician assistants are expected to grow 22.9 percent.
Then there are registered nurses.
Michigan projects approximately 6,505 RN openings every year through 2034, with employment expected to grow 8.3 percent.
That’s one of the largest annual-opening totals anywhere on the state’s Hot 50.
An aging Michigan population will continue increasing demand for medical services, making health care both an economic-growth sector and an increasingly important workforce issue.
Manufacturing Isn’t Going Away — It’s Changing
Michigan’s manufacturing heritage remains easy to spot in the Hot 50.
Industrial engineers are projected to generate about 2,035 openings annually.
Mechanical engineers account for another 1,845 openings.
Logisticians — increasingly important as manufacturers manage complicated supply chains — are projected to grow 12.8 percent and generate approximately 1,120 annual openings.
Industrial machinery mechanics are projected to grow 13 percent.
That occupation may be one of the clearest examples of what’s happening inside modern manufacturing.
As factories become increasingly automated, employers don’t necessarily stop needing workers.
They need workers with different skills.
Robots, automated production lines and AI-controlled equipment still have to be installed, maintained, diagnosed and repaired.
Michigan’s manufacturing workforce is shifting from simply operating machinery toward understanding increasingly sophisticated machinery.
Some Of The Biggest Opportunities Aren’t The Fastest Growing
Another important distinction in the Hot 50 report is the difference between percentage growth and actual job openings.
Data scientists attract attention because employment is projected to jump 28.3 percent.
But Michigan expects only about 600 data-scientist openings annually.
Compare that with heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
Truck-driving employment is projected to grow only about 2 percent, yet Michigan expects approximately 6,650 openings every year.
Construction laborers tell a similar story.
Employment is projected to grow about 5.1 percent, but employers are expected to need roughly 3,110 workers annually.
That’s why looking only at the fastest-growing occupations can be misleading for someone deciding where the actual opportunities will be.
A Road Map For Michigan Workers
The Hot 50 isn’t a list of who’s hiring today.
Michigan officials caution that these are long-term occupational projections and shouldn’t be interpreted as a snapshot of the current job market.
But they provide something potentially more useful for high school students, parents, career changers, educators and employers:
A road map.
For a student considering college, the numbers show substantial opportunities in software, engineering, data science, cybersecurity and health care.
For someone who doesn’t want four years of college — or the debt that can come with it — Michigan’s forecast shows another path through apprenticeships, skilled trades and technical training.
For Michigan employers and policymakers, the report illustrates how broad the state’s workforce needs are becoming.
Michigan needs people who can write software and analyze enormous amounts of data.
It needs engineers capable of designing automated factories.
It needs nurses and medical professionals caring for an aging population.
But it also needs electricians, mechanics, technicians and construction workers capable of building and maintaining the physical economy underneath all that technology.
Michigan has spent years telling young people that a four-year college degree is the primary route to economic security.
The state’s own employment forecast paints a more complicated picture.
Michigan’s next economy may increasingly run on artificial intelligence.
It will still need somebody to build it, wire it and keep it running.
