Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · October 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA — October 2026
Holland employers chase shrinking talent pool as pay climbs.
Ottawa County lost 3,100 workers year-over-year even as advertised Recruiter pay jumped to $72,537 and HR Coordinator pay rose to $52,270, both outpacing national gains.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Ottawa County employment change: -3,100 — Year-over-year loss of employed residents
- Ottawa County unemployment rate: 3.7% — vs 4.1% U.S. rate in October 2026
- Ottawa County average weekly wage: $1,157 — +3.7% year-over-year, Q3 2025
- Michigan labor force decline: -26,000 — September 2026, statewide monthly drop
Key takeaways
Recruiter pay is surging locally while employers compete for scarce talent.
Metro Recruiter advertised pay rose to a median of $72,537, outpacing the stable national median of $67,234 by roughly $5,300. The gap suggests local employers are bidding up internal recruiting capacity to compensate for a shrinking candidate pool.
HR Coordinator pay growth signals pressure at the administrative layer.
Advertised pay for HR Coordinator roles climbed to $52,270 locally, a significant increase that outpaces the moderate national gain to $50,460. Entry-level HR infrastructure roles appear to be absorbing some of the same wage pressure driving Michigan's minimum wage increase to $15.00 in 2027.
Benefits Manager demand reflects the region's healthcare-anchored economy.
Metro median pay of $122,847 for Benefits Manager roles sits well above the national figure of $118,618, both trending up. With healthcare employing one in ten regional workers, this premium likely reflects the complexity of designing total rewards packages that compete for scarce clinical and skilled talent.
Labor force contraction is outpacing job creation plans.
Ottawa County lost 3,100 employed residents year-over-year while a third of regional employers plan expansion projects. Workforce planning should treat labor availability as the binding constraint on growth timelines.
Median advertised pay by role — Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst * | $70,534 | $103,004 | $117,285 | Moderate increase | $100,798 |
| HR Business Partner | $61,173 | $82,788 | $95,000 | Moderate increase | $83,900 |
| Benefits Manager * | $79,178 | $122,847 | $131,278 | Moderate increase | $118,618 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $77,106 | $95,000 | $102,500 | Stable | $95,000 |
| HR Coordinator | $48,981 | $52,270 | $52,884 | Significant increase | $50,460 |
| Recruiter | $46,727 | $72,537 | $80,199 | Significant increase | $67,234 |
| Payroll Specialist * | $48,560 | $59,592 | $64,511 | Moderate increase | $61,103 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Ottawa County labor supply continues to contract, with 3,100 fewer employed residents year-over-year as of the most recent county data, even as 85% of regional employers report stable or growing sales and a third plan expansion projects averaging 12 new jobs each. This mismatch between employer demand and a shrinking labor pool, compounded by Michigan's statewide labor force decline of 26,000 in September, is consistent with the acute skilled-labor shortage regional employers report, with 87% of in-demand openings requiring skilled qualifications.
What it means
Shrinking labor supply against resilient employer demand signals a market where recruitment timelines will stretch and offer-acceptance leverage tilts further toward candidates, particularly for skilled and healthcare roles that anchor the regional economy. Compensation strategy should treat Ottawa County's 3.7% average weekly wage growth as a wage floor, especially as Michigan's minimum wage climbs to $15.00 in January 2027 and compresses entry-level pay bands. Consider reviewing total rewards packages for skilled trades and healthcare support roles now, ahead of the statutory wage increase, to preserve pay differentiation across job levels.
Looking ahead
Expected: Michigan's minimum wage rises to $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2027, a 9.3% increase from the current $13.73 floor. HR leaders should model compression effects on pay bands above minimum wage now, particularly in retail, hospitality, and entry-level healthcare support roles.
Emerging pressure point: Michigan's labor force fell by 26,000 statewide in September with a median 6.8% year-over-year decline across all 18 labor market areas. Watch whether Ottawa County's tighter labor conditions relative to the state average hold, or whether regional employers begin reporting longer time-to-fill as the trend persists.
Worth watching: H-1B certified applications in Holland fell 33% year-over-year in FY2026 Q1, dropping to just four filings. Organizations relying on specialized or technical talent pipelines should evaluate whether domestic sourcing and internal development can offset reduced visa-based hiring capacity.
Potential inflection point: Michigan WARN notices are down 33% from 2025 levels, with only 39 filings affecting 6,040 workers in 2026. A continued decline would reinforce talent scarcity and sustain upward pay pressure on skilled and healthcare roles through year-end.
Sources
- Michigan DTMB — Ottawa County lost 3,100 employees year-over-year through September 2025
- Regional economic development survey — 85% of regional employers report stable or increasing sales; one-third plan expansion
- Michigan Department of Labor — Michigan minimum wage rises to $15.00 per hour January 1, 2027
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Ottawa County average weekly wage $1,157, up 3.7% year-over-year
- Michigan DTMB Center for Data and Analytics — Michigan's labor force declined by 26,000 in September 2026
- H-1B Scope — H-1B certified applications in Holland fell 33% in FY2026 Q1
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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