Biennial talent report provides snapshot of how Greater Grand Rapids compares to state and country

This week, The Right Place, Inc. released its biennial Talent Report that uncovers the key trends and insights shaping the Greater Grand Rapids talent sector. This industry report provides actionable data to help businesses navigate the evolving talent landscape and plan for the future.

The full report is available here.

Key highlights from the report are below.

Talent Landscape

• The talent landscape has changed in recent years, and Greater Grand Rapids is entering this new landscape from a position of demographic strength.
• At a time when communities nationwide are contending with aging populations and declining birth rates, Greater Grand Rapids’ talent base is younger, more diverse, and increasingly well educated.
• Having added 2,000 new jobs in 2025, the region is a hub for 25-to-34-year-old workers, with a concentration that outpaces state and national figures and ranks fifth among 16 peer metros.
• There are 621,936 people employed in the Greater Grand Rapids labor force with a $33.18 average hourly wage.
  
  

Labor Market

• The national labor market has shifted from one defined by twice as many job openings as people to fill them at its peak, to a labor market with more unemployed people than openings in recent months. In Michigan, this shift is even starker, with unemployment exceeding openings in mid-2024.
• This shift underscores a new talent landscape, one that is different from much of the past decade. While the labor force continues to grow, workers are competing for fewer available job openings than previous years. Meanwhile, many employers have tightened hiring to hedge against economic uncertainty.
  
  

Employment Trends

• Despite the changes to the labor market, employers remain optimistic. Companies across Greater Grand Rapids plan to continue adding workers and expanding, though at a slower rate than previous years, according to data from The Right Place. Likewise, the share of companies forecasting stable employment in 2025 remained largely unchanged from the previous year.
• The Greater Grand Rapids area added 2,000 jobs in 2025.
  
  

Greater Grand Rapids’ Competitive Edge

• Across the country, communities and companies alike are experiencing widespread demographic shifts. Greater Grand Rapids is becoming increasingly diverse, and the region is uniquely positioned to benefit from these shifting demographics
  
  

25-to-34 Year Old Workers

• As populations across the nation fluctuate, regions that successfully attract young workers will be better positioned for economic success.
• The concentration of 25-to-34-year-old workers in Greater Grand Rapids (14.4%) not only outpaces Michigan (13.2%) and the United States (13.7%) but outperforms the majority of its peers.
  
  

Diverse Populations

• The concentration of diverse populations in Greater Grand Rapids lags state and national figures but grew faster (39.3%) from 2005 to 2025 compared to Michigan (23.2%) and the U.S. (29.9%).
• Since 2015, diverse populations have driven more than half of Greater Grand Rapids' population growth.
• From 2005 to 2025, 69% of the region’s total population growth is driven by diverse populations.
  
  

Education Trends

• After several years of consecutive decline, undergraduate enrollment in Greater Grand Rapids increased 27% (1,273 students) from 2022 to 2024.
• Enrollment declines generally track fluctuations in population. Nationally, undergraduate enrollment declined 5.3% from 2015 to 2024. The region’s population continues to be better educated.
• The share of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased 8 percentage points to 37% from 2015 to 2025.
  
  

AI and the New Era of Work

• At the same time that the labor market is rebalancing, the nature of work is changing at an unprecedented pace. The proliferation of AI technologies has reshaped how people work, train, and hire.
• Job postings referencing AI-related skills in Greater Grand Rapids more than doubled since 2022.
• Likewise, wages for AI-related positions increased 24% since 2022 and 27% from the previous year – a 66% premium above the region’s median hourly wage of $33.18.