requires more formal education. This potential shortage of workers is not an ideal situation to contend with when a vaccine/treatment has not been developed yet. Second, this age group (55-64), is considered a high-risk population for severe cases of COVID-19 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If we look at Kent County’s COVID-19 Dashboard, those ages 50 and above comprise 30% of all cases but, on average, consists of 20% of the workforce.
of prime working age (25-55 years) as seen in Figure 5 . Analyzing the age demographics are critical to help identify if the sector or occupation has many workers approaching retirement and whether there are enough workers in the younger cohorts to avoid a talent shortage. Sectors with larger amounts of workers in retirement age, such as Healthcare, have a twofold problem. First, there will be a vacuum of workers left behind once those close to retirement decide to retire. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that this sector
There are over 360 different occupations classified as essential, Figures 3 & 4 show the 20 occupations that have the most jobs inWest Michigan. As you can see, the majority of workers in these occupations do not need more education than a high school diploma and have median hourly earnings between $14.00 - $15.00 . Essential workers’ age in West Michigan closely resembles the age breakdown of Michigan’s labor force at large with the bulk of work being done by people
TOP 20 ESSENTIAL WORKER OCCUPATIONS IN WEST MICHIGAN
Figure 3
MEDIAN HOURLY EARNINGS
MEDIAN ANNUAL EARNINGS
2019 JOBS
TYPICAL ENTRY LEVEL EDUCATION
TYPICAL ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
DESCRIPTION
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
17,721
$14.15 $29,439.42 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
High school diploma or equivalent
Office Clerks, General
16,822
$16.69
$34,711.62
Short-term on-the-job training
Registered Nurses
15,338
$31.43 $65,368.48 Bachelor's degree
None
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
14,085
$11.71
$24,353.07 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
High school diploma or equivalent Postsecondary nondegree award
Customer Service Representatives
13,807
$16.41
$34,136.08
Short-term on-the-job training
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
12,887
$20.60 $42,852.30
Short-term on-the-job training
Cashiers
12,688
$10.65
$22,160.24 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
Packers and Packagers, Hand
8,324
$11.12
$23,130.16 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
High school diploma or equivalent High school diploma or equivalent
7,500
$14.87
$30,926.47
Moderate-term on-the-job training
7,447
$17.91
$37,261.42
Moderate-term on-the-job training
7,111
$27.54
$57,291.01
Bachelor's degree
None
High school diploma or equivalent High school diploma or equivalent Some college, no degree
7,111
$28.52 $59,320.64
None
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
7,089
$14.88 $30,942.65
Moderate-term on-the-job training
6,835
$17.56
$36,518.96
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Construction Laborers
6,506
$16.39 $34,094.62 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
High school diploma or equivalent High school diploma or equivalent
6,368
$15.19
$31,592.70
Short-term on-the-job training
6,258
$18.60 $38,680.48
None
5,990
$15.35
$31,930.37 No formal education
Short-term on-the-job training
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
High school diploma or equivalent
5,982
$19.22 $39,986.03
None
Cooks, Restaurant
5,975
$12.04 $25,048.14 No formal educational
No formal educational
10
DATACONOMY: ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter