EMPLOYMENT TRENDS
Regionally, Greater Grand Rapids continued to add jobs through 2025, with total employment reaching 607,800 in the fourth quarter. The most recent job figures represent a 0.7% increase from Q4 2024 and a 2.7% increase since Q4 2022, when the regional job market had largely regained its pre-pandemic footing. Regional job growth, while modest, signals sustained performance in a year when job markets softened across the country. This is particularly evident in the back half of 2025, when job growth in Greater Grand Rapids outperformed that of the state and the country. Likewise, year-over-year hiring remained stable in 2024 and 2025 in Greater Grand Rapids at the same time the nation saw substantial pullback in annual job growth.
Across the board, the unemployment rate generally increased since 2023, reaching 4.3% in Greater Grand Rapids in January 2026. Annual average unemployment rate in the region has also increased steadily, rising from 3.4% in 2023 to 4.6% in 2025. On an annual basis, the region outperforms the state but underperforms against national figures (4.3%). During the last two months of 2025, the Greater Grand Rapids’ unemployment rate tracked identically to national figures.
Unemployment Rate
Jobs Added From the Previous Year:
IN 2023 16,400
IN 2024 1,600 IN 2025 2,000
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (Smoothed Seasonally Adjusted)
IN 2023 90,900 IN 2024 27,600 IN 2025 39,900
Average Unemployment Rate
IN 2023 3,346,100 IN 2024 1,798,600
IN 2025 745,100
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (Smoothed Seasonally Adjusted)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (Total Nonfarm, Seasonally Adjusted)
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator