Crain’s Detroit Business
Dustin Walsh
Aug. 10, 2022
The health care industry represents the fastest growing job opportunities in Michigan through 2030, according to an updated jobs outlook by the state.
Of 50 selected jobs, the need for nurse practitioners will grow by more than 50% between 2020 and 2030, the outlook prepared by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget and the Bureau of Labor Information and Strategic Initiatives said. The increase represents an additional 595 nurse practitioners — a role that requires a master’s degree and license and pays $48-$60 per hour — needed annually by 2030.
Medical and health services manager openings, which require a bachelor’s degree and pay $37-$61 per hour, will grow by 31.5% with a projected need of 1,505 workers by 2030.
The state is also projected to need 435 physician assistants, 31.9% more than in 2020.
The industry has been crippled by a staffing shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the government has stepped in to aid in creating more nurses and health care workers.
Community colleges can access a minimum of $2 million from the budget if they partner with a four-year school so students with an associate’s degree in nursing can earn a bachelor’s degree at least partially on the community college campus.
“Staffing shortages are impacting Michigan hospitals throughout the state, particularly in the areas of nursing,” Brian Peters, Michigan Health and Hospital Association chief executive officer, said in June. “This plan will help us get more highly-skilled professionals into the field quickly and increase access to nursing education in more communities across the state.”
Universities and community colleges had been at odds for years over bills to let community colleges directly offer four-year nursing degrees.
To do so, the state will need more nursing teachers. The state projects it will need an additional 285 nursing instructors, teachers, and postsecondary educators in nursing annually through 2030, an increase of about 25.5%.
And as the population ages — 24% of Michigan’s population will be 60 and older by 2030, up nearly a third since 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — Michigan residents will undergo more surgeries and require more physical therapy. The state projects it will need 535 more physical therapy assistants and 485 physical therapists annually to meet demand.
Other growing careers
The fastest growing jobs outside of health care cut across many other industries.
The state projects a 21.5 percent growth in demand for flight attendants; a 28.2% increase in demand for industrial machinery mechanics; a 29.7% increase in demand for logisticians; a 29.6% increase in demand for massage therapists; and a 23.9% increase in demand for market research analysts and marketing specialists.
However, the greatest demand in the number of available jobs through 2030 is in low-wage jobs. The state projects an annual need for more than 26,000 fast-food and counter workers; nearly 14,000 waiters and waitresses; and more than 12,500 laborers and material movers.
The most in-demand, high-wage jobs will be operations managers, with an annual need of more than 6,500 and a wage of $29-$72 per hour, and registered nurses, with an annual need of more than 6,300 with a wage of $30-$38 per hour.