May 14, 2026
In March 2026, just over 217,800 online job advertisements were posted in Michigan. This represented a growth of 19,600 ads (+9.9 percent) over the month and 41,500 ads (+23.5 percent) over the year. Of the total online job ads, just under 93,500 were newly posted, meaning they did not carry over from previous months. This was both an increase since February 2026 (+14.8 percent) and the largest number of newly posted ads since April 2022.
Although seasonal trends show that online job ads tend to increase from the start of each year into the summer months, the number of newly posted ads observed in March 2026 was elevated compared to March 2025 (+29.0 percent). Across Michigan’s prosperity regions, all but the Southwest Prosperity Region experienced an increase over the year. The Northeast (+159.8 percent), Northwest (+140.9 percent), and Upper Peninsula (+91.0 percent) prosperity regions experienced the largest growth; however, this growth appears larger due to the smaller number of ads observed in these regions. The areas with the largest numeric increase in newly posted online job ads were the Detroit Metro (+8,600 ads), West Michigan (+2,900 ads), and East Central Michigan (+1,900 ads) prosperity regions.
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Change in Newly Posted Online Job Ads by Prosperity Region, March 2025 to March 2026
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine®
According to the 2026 Registered Apprenticeships in Michigan report, Michigan reached a record high 23,200 active registered apprentices in 2025. Of all industries, the Building equipment contractors industry employed the largest portion (24.3 percent) of Michigan’s registered apprentices. In March 2026, this industry also posted its highest number of online job advertisements since October 2021, indicating a growing demand for labor within the industry.
Building Equipment Contractors Online Job Ads Over Time in Michigan
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine®
In March, 49.2 percent of the jobs posted by this industry listed a minimum education requirement. A minimum education requirement lists the lowest level of education an employer will accept, but employers may prefer a higher level. Of the postings that listed an education requirement, 69.6 percent requested a high school diploma or GED, and 6.6 percent requested an associate degree. The remaining 23.8 percent requested a bachelor’s degree or higher. Of the statewide ads, a similar share listed a minimum education requirement, but a smaller proportion required a high school diploma or GED (51.2 percent), and a larger proportion required a bachelor’s degree or higher (40.1 percent). This indicates that employers in the Building equipment contractors industry typically accept lower levels of education than employers statewide.
Most of the job ads from the Building equipment contractors industry were within the Detroit Metro (610 ads), West (180 ads), and Southeast (90 ads) Michigan prosperity regions. However, advertisements from this industry exist across all 10 regions of the state. In the Northeast Prosperity Region, this industry accounted for 1.1 percent of all ads in the region during March 2026—this was the largest share of regional ads attributed to the Building equipment contractors industry.
A variety of occupations exist within this industry, but over 19 percent of the total industry ads were for the top three posted occupations. The most sought-out occupations in online job ads were Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners; Project management specialists; and Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. According to Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, these occupations earn median hourly wages of $17.25, $48.93, and $29.39, respectively, in Michigan.
More information about Michigan job advertisements can be found using the Michigan Online Job Advertisement Dashboard.
