2022 ANNUAL STATE OF THE LABOR MARKET

State of the Labor Market in Macomb County

The slowdown of the COVID-19 crisis continued to cause shifts in the labor market. In 2022, the labor force increased by 15,625 individuals (3.7 percent) while employment increased by 16,517 individuals (4.0 percent) from 2021. Unemployment went down by 891 workers and the unemployment rate continued to recover to pre-pandemic levels, decreasing 0.3 percentage points from 4.2 percent in 2021 to 3.9 percent in 2022. Quarterly postings data shows shifts in hiring and skills demanded as the region continues its recovery. Retail Salespersons tops the list as the most demanded occupation in 2022, accounting for 4,929job postings followed closely by Registered Nurse with 4,548postings. The Healthcare and skilled trades occupation groups continue to be heavily demanded in Macomb County.

Annual Labor Market Information

The labor force in Macomb County grew in 2022, increasing by 15,625 individuals (3.7 percent) from the prior year. Employment increased by 16,517 workers (4.0 percent) over the same period, while unemployment decreased by 891 workers (4.9 percent) for a total of 17,217 unemployed workers in 2022. The unemployment rate decreased in 2022 to 3.9 percent, a fall of 7.3 percentage points since the 11.2 percent peak in 2020. The highest monthly unemployment rate occurred in Q1 2022, with an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent in Macomb County.

Quarterly Employer Demand Overview

The fourth quarter of 2022 shows that employer demand has decreased since the end of Q3 2022. In Q4 2022, there were a monthly average of 23,474 unique postings in Macomb County, a decrease of 2,471 postings from the monthly average of 25,945 postings recorded in Q3. The second quarter had the highest recorded postings in 2022 with 29,651 average postings, an increase of 461 (1.6 percent) since the first quarter. The sharp decline of 20.8 percent from Q2 to Q4 might be evidence that post-COVID recovery has finally peaked.

Annual Labor Force, Employment, Unemployment Rate

2012–2022

Data: BLS | Analysis: Workforce Intelligence Network

Quarterly Posting Analysis Macomb County

2022

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