With nearly 518,300 Michigan jobs and approximately 40,600 annual openings in the professional trades projected by the year 2032, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joins the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to proclaim May as Professional Trades Month. The annual observance honors hard-working Michiganders in professional trades while encouraging students and adults to explore education and career opportunities leading to high-wage, in-demand careers.

“The hardworking Michiganders in professional trades careers build and maintain the infrastructure that ensures we all have clean water, reliable energy, safe places to live and work, and stable roads to drive on,” said Whitmer. “During Professional Trades Month, we celebrate the good-paying careers that the trades offer, giving hardworking people a chance to protect and provide for themselves and their families. Since I took office, we have expanded registered apprenticeships, made community college tuition-free for all high school graduates, offered paths to tuition-free skills training certificates to anyone 25 and older, and proposed the largest ever investment in career and technical education on our high school campuses. Let’s keep working together to support the professional trades across Michigan so we can build up our infrastructure and help more Michiganders thrive.”

Professional trades careers are essential to Michigan's economic strength and community well-being. These roles — spanning agriculture, construction, education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, mobility and outdoor recreation — are foundational to the state's infrastructure and services. Many businesses rely on skilled workers to fill a wide range of professional trades roles that offer Michiganders a rewarding career opportunity with good wages.

“During Professional Trades Month, we want more Michiganders to explore the high-skill, high-demand career opportunities that power our communities, drive local industries, and provide hardworking Michiganders with real opportunities to build stable, rewarding lives,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “LEO proudly supports this work through programs that expand access to Michiganders looking to enter career pathways that serve as the backbone of Michigan’s economy.”

Many of these high-demand, high-wage careers do not require a four-year degree and have pathways that focus on credentials, certificates, on-the-job training and Registered Apprenticeships.

“Michiganders are looking for careers that allow them to take care of their families,” said LEO’s Office of Employment and Training Director Stephanie Beckhorn. “Pathways to careers in professional trades offer Michiganders affordable, meaningful opportunities that offer flexibility and independence.”

Registered Apprenticeships are career training programs in which apprentices gain paid work experience, related classroom instruction and a national industry-recognized credential upon program completion. These programs often lead to high paying careers with a median one-year-after completion wage of $80,700 among those who completed training as of 2024.

“The Surgical Technologist Registered Apprenticeship opened the door for current colleagues to advance into an in-demand, clinical technical occupation. The Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship created opportunities for external job seekers to enter the healthcare field and for internal candidates to advance in their career pathway,” shared Kelly Elkins, Workforce Development Program Partner at Trinity Health Muskegon. “In addition to the positive impact on the apprentices, these programs also provided a space for current, experienced Surgical Technologists and Medical Assistants to mentor and train the apprentices. That camaraderie has had a positive impact on the entire team.”

There are several resources that support career awareness and exploration for those interested in pursuing a new or different professional opportunity. 

The State of Michigan’s official career exploration resource, Pathfinder, allows users to explore careers and identify educational opportunities throughout the state. Pathfinder helps Michiganders make informed choices about educational and career options and plans to reach their goals. This free online tool uses current labor market information, wage data and other metrics to best match users and their skills with career paths and jobs. 

Those ready to find their first, next or another job, should visit Pure Michigan Talent Connect, the state’s online platform for connecting job seekers and employers, to create a free account and connect with employers who have immediate needs.

LEO and the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics have also created valuable resources to help Michiganders follow career and labor trends. These include Michigan’s Hot 50 report, which covers high-wage, in-demand careers that show a favorable mix of long-term job growth, projected annual job openings, and median wages; Michigan’s Career Outlook report, which provides multiple lists of in-demand occupations by education and training requirements; and Regional Career Outlook reports, which provide breakdowns of career outlook data in each of the state’s 10 regions. 

The contributions of professional trades workers will play a significant role in the implementation of the recently-announced the Michigan Statewide Infrastructure Workforce Plan, a framework for creating and enhancing job opportunities and training programs to meet Michigan's critical infrastructure needs.

Professional Trades Month supports the Michigan Statewide Workforce Plan aimed at building upon our state’s existing successes in workforce development by providing clear, shared strategies that have the scale and reach to make a meaningful impact.

Visit Michigan.gov/AllAccess to learn more about supports available to connect Michiganders and businesses with the opportunities and unique resources they need to build a better future.