Q1 2025 Labor Market Reports Are Live!

The WIN Q1 2025 Labor Market Reports offer essential insights into workforce trends across the City of Detroit and the WIN Region, covering 19 counties. Reports analyze real-time job posting data across eleven occupation groups, highlighting critical labor market dynamics.

Key highlights include:

• While the Labor Force is at an all-time high, in the past 10 years, for both the WIN Region (3,168,013) and City of Detroit (266,333), so is Unemployment (5.6% in the WIN Region and 10.9% for Detroit)
• A Bachelor’s degree is still the most in-demand education for both the WIN Region and Detroit.
• Registered Nurses are the most in-demand jobs with 12,695 postings in the WIN Region and 2,261 postings in Detroit.
• All occupations saw an increase in employment in the WIN Region from 2024, other than Customer Service (0.1% decrease), Education (30 jobs decrease), and Skilled Trades and Technicians (0.5% decrease).

These insights are invaluable for employers, job seekers, and policymakers, offering a clear view of the region’s economic health and opportunities. View the full report at winintelligence.org/lmr

In Case You Missed It… OCC and WIN Recognized Nationally for Apprenticeship Excellence

Oakland Community College (OCC) and WIN were honored with two national awards from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) in December 2024, recognizing their collaborative leadership and success in expanding advanced manufacturing apprenticeships across Southeast Michigan through the USDOL Closing the Skills Gap (CSG) grant.

The Sustainability and Expansion Award and the Adaptive Leadership Award celebrate OCC and the WIN Board of Directors’ commitment to building and growing apprenticeship programs for small to mid-sized businesses since the launch of the CSG initiative in 2020.

🔹 Program Milestones

Under the CSG grant, partners surpassed key targets:

• Apprentices Enrolled in Training: 1,442 (200% of the goal)
• Total Participants Engaged: 4,155 (129% of the goal)

“It’s hard to believe five years have passed since we began this journey,” said Joseph L. Petrosky, Vice Chancellor for Economic & Workforce Development at OCC. “This collaboration has not only exceeded expectations but also set a new standard for workforce development in Michigan.”

The Sustainability and Expansion Award recognizes long-term impact planning and community-centered outcomes, while the Adaptive Leadership Award honors the strategic agility and dedication demonstrated throughout the initiative.

🔹 A Collaborative Partnership

The success of the CSG program was made possible by a strong coalition of over 600 employers and stakeholder partners, including:

• Community Colleges: Henry Ford College, Macomb , Monroe County, Mott, Oakland, Schoolcraft, Washtenaw, and Wayne County
• Michigan Works! Agencies: Detroit at Work (DESC), GST Michigan Works!, Macomb/St. Clair, Michigan Works! Southeast, Oakland County Michigan Works!, and SEMCA Michigan Works!

As the grant concluded on February 28, 2025, the WIN Board remains committed to leveraging the momentum, lessons learned, and regional partnerships to continue expanding apprenticeship opportunities and workforce equity across Southeast Michigan. To explore apprenticeship tools and resources, visit miapprenticeship.org. Continue reading by clicking here.

Healthcare Careers Immersion Program 

The WIN Health Careers Alliance (HCA) is seeking funding to launch a transformative K–12 Health Careers Immersion Program targeting educationally disadvantaged students in Metro Detroit. HCA is an employer-led collaborative of approximately 39 healthcare organizations, including large hospital systems, rural hospitals, outpatient clinics, and long-term care providers, working together to address critical clinical workforce challenges. Convened and facilitated by WIN, the HCA also engages a broad network of education and workforce partners, including K–12 districts, career and technical education leaders, community colleges, universities, and regional Michigan Works! agencies. 

The HCA work centers on two strategic pillars: advancing the incumbent workforce and building the talent pipeline. The proposed Immersion Program aligns with the latter by providing early and sustained exposure to diverse healthcare careers—ranging from entry-level positions to advanced clinical roles—beginning in upper elementary school and continuing through postsecondary education and employment.

WIN hopes to launch the pilot program in collaboration with the Henry Ford Health + MSU Partnership, alongside a participating K–12 school district and community college. The long-term goal is to develop a replicable, collaborative pathway that advances workforce diversity, equity, and sustainability across Southeast Michigan’s healthcare sector. For more information, contact Dr. Karazim at janis.karazim@winintelligence.org.

Another Workforce WIN!

Student Success Spotlight: LaKeta Journey into IT

From church coordinator to Helpdesk Analyst, LaKeta always had a knack for problem-solving—she even built a computer at home with her son. With no formal training, she enrolled in the 10-week Computer Support Technician program and secured a role as a Helpdesk Analyst upon completion.

According to WIN data, 1,415 job postings were listed in 2024 for Computer User Support Technicians across Southeast Michigan—making it one of the region’s most in-demand fields. These roles offer competitive pay, with a median wage of $28.27/hour. Continue reading by clicking here.

Why this matters for the WIN region:

• High-demand field: With over 1,400 openings, the demand for support techs is clearly strong.
• Great returns on training: Rapid, targeted training led LaKeta directly into a new career path.
• Solid earnings: Median hourly wages well above entry-level benchmarks.

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WIN compiles news and events from the WIN Board of Director organizations, along with countless affiliates. If you have an event or information you would like to promote, please email info@winintelligence.org.