GRAND RAPIDS..MICH — Hiring in the U.S. slowed last month, with 139,000 new jobs added, and the outlook from the U.S. Labor Department for hiring this summer is uncertain, which could mean tough job hunting for recent college graduates, especially in West Michigan.
According to Paul Isely, Associate Dean at the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University, "The job market has tightened a little bit, that it's getting harder to find the next job."
Isely broke down the numbers from the most recent job report, stating that the U.S. economy added about 139,000 jobs, with half of that number in the medical field and the other half in hospitality. However, the report also showed a decrease in the amount of job growth estimated in the two months prior, meaning the increase was almost as big as the decrease, making the report "pretty flat" according to Isely.
This trend could pose a challenge for West Michigan graduates, as Isely said, "There's a lot of companies that are choosing to slow down how fast they're hiring, particularly at bringing in new talent, until they can figure out how the tariffs and how the changes in AI and how the changes in tax codes are going to affect their companies."
Isely also noted that the manufacturing sector in West Michigan has seen a decrease of between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs, making it especially difficult for graduates looking to enter that field.
"They're struggling more to find that first job, and they're having to do more activity to get it," Isely said.
In response, Isely suggests that job seekers keep an open mind when looking for employment to have a wider range of options.
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