There's further proof that tourism strength in Berrien County continues to surge. The latest snapshot of the West Michigan economy from the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research says that leisure and hospitality sectors in the county accounted for significant employment growth over the past year. Nearly half of all non-farm payroll came from that sector while manufacturing and government gains combined to nearly match the gains based on tourism.
That is excellent news that also helped keep the unemployment rate steady at 4.4-percent through December, and leaves the researchers suggesting employment growth would cap off the year thanks to the positive nature of the numbers.
In the latest Business Outlook for West Michigan published by the Upjohn crew, they note that total employment increased in the Niles-Benton Harbor metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which is essentially all of Berrien County, increased by 0.4-percent, with growth in the most recent quarter led by the leisure and hospitality sector.
In another measure, the research team says that employment by place of residence has fallen slightly from a peak in the first quarter of 2016, however, employment by place of work has been increasing since 2015. While the year has been robust for manufacturing job increases, the third quarter was relatively quiet with just 30 new jobs in that sector as compared to modest growth of 110 jobs in the business services and 100 leisure and hospitality jobs during that time period.
The prospects for additional manufacturing growth in the county are equally reflected in the list of top job postings with most of the openings for STEM workers come from the manufacturing sector, accounting for 73-percent of postings for mechanical engineers, 64-percent for electrical engineers, 68-percent for general engineers, 80-percent for computer systems analysts, and 67-percent for architectural and engineering managers.
The Upjohn report, which can be accessed by clicking the link below, says that during the third quarter of 2016, employment in the five metropolitan areas of West Michigan increased by the same 0.4-percent as seen in Berrien County, for a total gain of more than 5,000 jobs across the region.
The summary report gathered by Upjohn's Director of Regional and Economic Planning Services Dr. Jim Robey, says, "The area's economic indicators were positive during the quarter, suggesting that the county's employment conditions may improve in the coming months." He adds, "The number of initial unemployment insurance claims fell by 1.9-percent, and the rate of new dwelling units placed under contract for construction increased by 2.3-percent."
Here's the link for the full report:
