Detroit's Employment Hits 13-Year High, Mayor Duggan Says

DETROIT — More Detroiters are working now more than at any other time in the last 13 years, Mayor Mike Duggan announced Monday.

The September employment numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 237,099 Detroit residents were working in September, an increase of nearly 10,000 employed residents from one year prior.

The September number represents the first time employment among Detroit residents has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The most recent high was 236,128 in October 2019, according to the report.

Duggan credited the growth in employment to the city’s success attracting major employers, such as Stellantis, Amazon and Majorel.

In addition, Duggan also cited Detroit At Work’s ability to prepare Detroit residents for new careers in a wide range of in-demand industries and partner with those major employers to hire large numbers of Detroit residents.

"For the first time in my lifetime, any Detroiter who wants to work can find a good paying job," Duggan said. "New businesses are opening up across the city and are in need of workers. Anyone looking for a job can find more than 7,000 openings right now at www.detroitatwork.com, along with training programs to prepare them for many of these opportunities."

Duggan also pointed to a $100 million in scholarships funded by the federal pandemic relief fund called the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. The scholarships provide free job training and help with overall job preparedness. The scholarships are free to Detroit residents and accessible through www.DetroitAtWork.com or at any of the nine Detroit At Work centers across the city.

"The increasing number of opportunities that are available to Detroiters underscores the importance of the work that the City and Detroit at Work are doing to prepare residents for the jobs that are coming," Group Executive of Workforce and Detroit at Work at the City of Detroit Terri Weems said. "There are thousands of jobs available in Detroit today, and Detroit at Work has dozens of training programs, stipends and other supportive services available at nine career centers around the city to make sure that Detroiters are ready and able to take part."