Detroit Regional Chamber > Media Coverage > Metro Detroit Business Leaders Eye Tariff, Inflation Risks

Metro Detroit Business Leaders Eye Tariff, Inflation Risks

April 2, 2025

The Detroit News
April 1, 2025
Candice Williams

As new tariffs loom and economic sentiment shifts, business leaders in Metro Detroit are watching closely and preparing to adjust, according to the latest economic report from the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Related | View the 2025 State of the Region Report

The chamber’s annual State of the Region report shows mixed economic conditions for the state. While Michigan’s economic growth has kept pace with national trends, concerns about inflation and trade policy persist.

“Companies are taking very much a wait-and-see approach,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah, “But we’re seeing in the data, in the anecdotal data, where one — Michigan is certainly at a disproportionate risk in terms of many of the policy changes that are being contemplated in Washington. Tariffs being one, EV policy being another. And we’re seeing the data change, the early signs of some significant data changes in terms of sentiment and confidence and things like that.”