DFC’s “Growth Occupation” report outlines key job industries in Detroit with which to grow economic wealth opportunities in the community, including healthcare nurse practitioners.
Photos courtesy of Detroit Future City.
By: Rasha Almulaiki
Detroit Future City (DFC) released a new report, “Growth Occupations: Opportunities for More Equitable Participation in Detroit’s Growing Economy,” which outlined the top growth jobs in metro-Detroit and research-based recommendations to better invest in the city’s untapped economic potential.
The report defines “Growth Occupations” as jobs that are growing at the same or higher rate than the region, have increased wages between 2014-19, pay at least a middle-class wage ($25 per hour/$52,000 per year) and employ at least 300 people in the region.
According to DFC’s new report, there are 107 growth occupations in the region accounting for one out of four jobs in Metro Detroit.
“We covered several significant economic reports about our region over the years,” said Anika Goss, DFC president and CEO. “What we noticed that was really evident was there were two growing economic strategies here in Detroit. The first is moving very low-income Detroiters into any job that’s available. And that makes sense because a third of Detroiters are out of the workforce completely. That’s what we’ve traditionally seen, and we do need to stabilize the city and its residents. But the second strategy that is happening is positioning Detroit and the region into a whole new tech and STEM economy.”
Goss said data shows that in 2021 the only jobs that were growing in Detroit were low wage jobs. The average annual wage for a Detroit resident is an estimated $33,000. She said the city’s traditional economic development strategy, like other urban and rust belt cities, leaves many Detroiters lacking without the development of a working community that is higher skilled and commensurately compensated.
Detroit Future City is a nonprofit “think and do tank” that informs a strategic framework for the city to guide community planning in economic development, land use and sustainability. In 2015, the organization branched out independently from being a city-run entity and over the years it has released several reports on housing, employment and the regional economy.
According to DFC, employment in one of the following three industries make up about two-thirds of all growth professions in Metro Detroit: management, business and finance; healthcare; and computer, engineering and science (STEM).
The report identified the following top growth occupations in Detroit:
- Registered nurses
- General and operations managers
- Software developers
- Accountants and auditors
- Elementary school teachers
- Sales representatives of services
- Business operations specialists
- Project management specialists
- Electricians
- Loan officers
These occupations were assessed by the 2021 rate of the industry’s job growth, wage growth, middle-class wages and size of the organization of employment.
The healthcare and manufacturing sectors, which together make up a third of growth-occupation employment and 35 percent of metro Detroit’s overall employment, have the largest concentrations of growth-occupation employment.
The report assessed the strengths and opportunities of Detroit with comparisons to peer regions across the country — Atlanta, Indianapolis and Columbus.
Overall, Black workers in these peer regions fared with a slightly higher percentage of workers (27 percent) than in Metro Detroit (24 percent), who are engaged in growing occupations. Also, there are growth occupations available in other cities that haven’t developed fast enough in Detroit, including management analysts, paralegals and legal assistance and physician assistants.
Racial/Ethnic Representation in Metro Detroit Growth Occupations
The report found that inequitable access to these high-paying growing opportunities contributes to the economic disparities in the Detroit area. Compared to their white or Asian colleagues, Black and Latino/Hispanic employees have lower employment rates in growing occupations. Detroit residents who are Black, Latino/Hispanic and Asian have lower employment rates in growth occupations than their suburban counterparts.
Education improves representation in those jobs, but disparities across racial/ethnic groups continue at all educational levels, even for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Further, the report emphasized that a growth-based job industry needs to address barriers that prevent hiring or succeeding in the roles currently held by underserved populations is as crucially important as ensuring that workers have paths available for career development.
“There is this idea of employment support and what it really means,” said Goss. “From childcare, mental health and transportation, all these things should be included to attract and retain the kind of talent you need.”
The growth occupations with the highest shares of Black and Latino/Hispanic workers at 23 percent or more include social and community service managers, eligibility interviewers and government programs, and human resources specialists.
Creating Equitable Access to Growth
There are eight recommendations outlined for local leaders to create more equitable access to growth occupations including increasing the number of jobs and robust industries, investing in local talent with education and training and ensuring supportive processes for residents to take advantage of opportunities as “high-quality candidates.”
“We need to send a message that Detroiters are not of the low wage talent pool for this region,” said Goss. “That message, that there is a Black or Brown Detroiter that is a nurse practitioner, is an early education teacher or electrician, all of these levels of high growth occupations will really advance the business community and public sector. “
The “Growth Occupations” report was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and informed by an advisory committee that included representatives from the State of Michigan and City of Detroit economic development departments, and business, workforce, education and philanthropy organizations.
On March 8, DFC will host a webinar from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to offer further insights and discussion about “Growth Occupations” and answer community questions. Panelists for the webinar include Bridgette Gray, chief customer officer of Opportunity@Work; Kysha Frazier, CEO of Corporation for Skilled Workforce; Joshua Sirefman, CEO of Ford Michigan Central; and Quentin Messer, CEO of Michigan Economic Development Corp.
To view the “Growth Occupations” report and register for the webinar, visit detroitfuturecity.com
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