Michigan launches Statewide Economic Transition strategy

During the Detroit Auto Show, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is rolling out its first statewide blueprint to help workers, businesses, and communities adapt to significant shifts in industry; driven by electrification, automation, and evolving supply chains. 

Governor Whitmer said at the event that Michigan  "is focused on growing our economy, creating good-paying jobs and preparing our talented workers for jobs of the future." Adding that "Michigan put the world on wheels, and we want to keep making the best cars and trucks. This new strategy ensures we will continue to do just that by supporting workers and communities through long-term changes in the auto industry." 

The strategy sits within the Michigan Community & Worker Economic Transition Office response of sorts to a collision between Michigan’s long-standing manufacturing heritage and a quickly accelerating overhaul of the global auto industry. Industry veterans point to rising demand for electric vehicles, batteries, and software-driven manufacturing. The Transition Office sees the plan as a way to connect Michigan’s robust industrial base with new supply-chain opportunities, linking the old with the new.

According to the announcement, the plan aims to empower localities by providing data, planning tools, and technical assistance. In this way, communities can build on their unique assets, like colleges, downtown districts, or key employers, and translate plans into real projects. The Community Growth Academy is already testing this idea, providing selected regions with ongoing support to turn planning into tangible results. 

Organized around three main priorities - industry growth and diversification, building community resilience, and empowering workers - the plan aims to guide investments that will help manufacturers modernize, bolster local supply chains, and enable workers to access training and new sectors. 

James Harrison, director of renewable energies at the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, said that “As Michigan’s largest industries evolve, our response must be bold, coordinated and people-centered.”

Meanwhile, Glenn Stevens Jr., Executive Director of MichAuto, noted that “by securing Michigan’s manufacturing legacy while embracing our economic future, this strategy helps small and mid-sized manufacturers adapt, compete and grow.”