GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– West Michigan can expect to see a robust year in 2015, that’s according to economists.
The Right Placehosted it’s annual economic outlook in downtown Grand Rapids, Tuesday.
According to The Right Place, unemployment stands around 4.5%, the lowest since 2001, and areas like manufacturing and health care continue to grow.
They say it’s the kind of growth that exceeded expectations, further showing West Michigan’s resilience as the economy gets stronger.
“We now have a diverse economy in West Michigan, which means when one industry isn’t doing well, the other offsets it,” explained Birgit Klohs, CEO of The Right Place.
But while there are many opportunities, economists stress higher education.
“We have to get through the heads of our young people that just high school is not going to get you a quality job that allows you to have a family, buy that house or a car,” explained Klohs.
“You need to really understand you need a certificate of some kind, a two-year minimum from community college or some type of skills that gets you into a job that is a living wage.”
And more good news, economists predict further job growth and report consumer confidence has reached 92%.
