November 05, 2026
The Michigan Center for Data and Analytics recently released the 2026 Manufacturing and Healthcare Industry Workforce Analysis reports. These reports provide a broad overview of labor market trends across both industry sectors and are intended to support workforce development across the state. They include, but are not limited to, analysis of workforce demographics, employment and wages, and real-time demand. This article will showcase highlights from the two reports.
Note: Healthcare and Manufacturing industry sector definitions have minor overlap, both including Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing and Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing.
Author:
Employment Index (Index Year: 2018), Michigan Manufacturing and Healthcare
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Note: An index year of 2018 means that labor force numbers were set equal to 100 in 2018, and percent changes were calculated from there.
Healthcare and Manufacturing are among Michigan’s largest industry sectors, employing 17.5 percent and 15.3 percent of the state’s total workforce, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Manufacturing observed a steeper decrease in employment (11.3 percent) than the state while Healthcare decreased just 5 percent. Employment in Healthcare quickly recovered and is 12 percent larger than in 2018. Manufacturing recovered slowly through 2023 but has seen employment decreases in both 2024 and 2025.
Employment by Gender, Michigan Manufacturing and Healthcare
Source: 2024 One-Year Public Use Microdata Samples, American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Manufacturing and Healthcare show contrasting employment patterns by gender. While Michigan is nearly equal between the number of employed men and women, the sectors have drastic splits. Just under 73 percent of employees in Manufacturing are men. In contrast, nearly 77 percent of workers in Healthcare are women.
Nominal Wage Change (2018–2025), Michigan Healthcare and Manufacturing
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Note: Nominal wages are wages that have not been adjusted for inflation.
Healthcare wages were nearly identical to earnings across all private statewide employment. Between 2018 and 2025, annual non-adjusted salaries grew by 27 percent in Healthcare. Manufacturing wages are consistently greater than wages observed across total statewide employment. While Michigan wages increased at a greater rate than Manufacturing between 2018 and 2025, Manufacturing wages still exceeded total average state wages by 21 percent in 2025.
Percent Share of Postsecondary Completers by Award Level, Michigan Healthcare and Manufacturing (2024–25)
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), National Center for Education Statistics
Educational attainment can open numerous workforce opportunities, but some fields of study are more likely to lead to certain sectors. Bachelor’s degree programs lead the way for both Healthcare- and Manufacturing-related postsecondary completions. Both sectors have a range of opportunities within postsecondary programs, including awards or certificates, however. Manufacturing is most heavily concentrated in bachelor’s or master’s degrees while Healthcare has more noticeable variety.
For more information on these sectors, view the full 2026 Manufacturing and Healthcare Industry Workforce Analysis reports.
