Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA — September 2026
Holland's low jobless rate masks a shrinking county workforce.
Holland's 2.5% unemployment rate is among Michigan's lowest, but Ottawa County shed roughly 3,100 workers over the past year even as average weekly wages rose 3.7%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Holland unemployment rate: 2.5% — vs 5.0% Michigan statewide
- Ottawa County employment change: -3,100 workers — Sept 2024 to Sept 2025, YoY
- Ottawa County average weekly wage: $1,157 — up 3.7% YoY, Q3 2025 data
- Michigan unemployment rate: 5.0% — up from 4.9% in July 2026
Key takeaways
A 2.5% jobless rate hides a shrinking labor pool.
Ottawa County lost roughly 3,100 employed residents between September 2024 and 2025, even as Holland's unemployment rate stayed among the state's lowest. Low unemployment paired with a falling payroll count is consistent with workers exiting the labor force rather than a genuinely tight, expanding market.
Wage growth outpaces the state's murkier numbers.
Ottawa County's average weekly wage rose 3.7% year-over-year to $1,157 in the most recent quarterly data, ahead of the inflation-adjusted wage erosion showing up nationally. Local purchasing power appears more resilient than the national real-wage picture, a meaningful data point for commerce leaders assessing consumer spending capacity.
Manufacturing softness in Michigan has not fully reached Holland yet.
Statewide manufacturing posted the largest month-over-month employment decline in August and cyclical sectors are projected to lose over 16,000 jobs this year. Holland's manufacturing-heavy base warrants monitoring for lagged spillover even though local unemployment data has not yet shown a comparable deterioration.
Advertised pay for skilled trades is climbing faster than office roles locally.
HVAC technician pay in the metro ($80,000) now exceeds the national median, while administrative and financial-analyst pay have moved down. Sector-level divergence suggests building-trades and technical labor are tightening locally even as office-based occupations soften, a pattern worth tracking for what it implies about construction and skilled-trade capacity.
Median advertised pay by role — Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,323 | $30,638 | $34,195 | Moderate increase | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,654 | $29,120 | $30,638 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,005 | $37,032 | $40,040 | Moderate increase | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,397 | $75,400 | $84,891 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,927 | $35,439 | $39,520 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,728 | $38,480 | $42,120 | Moderate increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $57,586 | $71,011 | $71,735 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $32,837 | $38,012 | $40,560 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,104 | $38,480 | $43,680 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,637 | $31,000 | $31,079 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,594 | $40,300 | $42,640 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $33,280 | $39,792 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $60,918 | $80,000 | $80,560 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,277 | $86,507 | $90,000 | Stable | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $49,237 | $105,951 | $131,185 | Moderate decline | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,151 | $139,608 | $157,544 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $56,939 | $65,627 | $71,634 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,787 | $77,568 | $87,000 | Moderate decline | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $59,563 | $67,500 | $76,125 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $44,393 | $64,480 | $64,676 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $61,250 | $81,693 | $90,662 | Stable | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $33,234 | $47,712 | $53,618 | Moderate increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $54,934 | $70,000 | $73,849 | Significant decline | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $48,388 | $65,000 | $80,378 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $73,992 | $82,500 | $86,875 | Moderate decline | $98,279 |
* 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
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $60,325 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $49,400 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,195 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $47,906 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $48,677 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $55,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $43,561 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $38,886 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,498 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,487 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Holland's unemployment rate held at 2.5% in September, among the lowest in Michigan, even as Ottawa County's payroll count fell by roughly 3,100 workers over the prior year and the state's own jobless rate climbed to 5.0%. That divergence — a tight local jobless reading against a shrinking county payroll base — appears consistent with the statewide pattern of falling labor force participation masking underlying softness rather than genuine tightness.
What it means
Local business investment decisions should weigh the gap between Holland's headline unemployment rate and the quieter payroll contraction underneath it; a 2.5% jobless rate reads as strength but may partly reflect residents leaving the labor force rather than employers adding net positions. Ottawa County's 3.7% year-over-year wage growth in average weekly earnings outpaces Michigan's statewide wage data gaps and suggests employers are still competing for the workers who remain active in the market. Commerce leaders should consider evaluating local labor force participation trends alongside the unemployment headline before treating the low jobless rate as a standalone signal of economic strength.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Ottawa County's payroll contraction has persisted for over a year; watch whether the next county-level jobs release (due in coming weeks) shows the decline stabilizing or deepening, which would clarify whether Holland's low unemployment rate reflects strength or labor-force exit.
Emerging pressure point: Michigan manufacturing employment fell again in August and cyclical sectors are projected to shed over 16,000 jobs statewide in 2026. Holland's manufacturing base makes the metro a candidate for lagged exposure; local WARN filings and county payroll data over the next 60 days will be the clearest early signal.
Worth watching: National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, the weakest real-wage reading since 2021. Ottawa County's 3.7% wage growth currently outpaces that national trend, but a continued national slowdown could pressure local wage gains in coming quarters.
Expected: Michigan's minimum wage is scheduled to rise from $13.73 to $15.00 on January 1, 2027. Retail, food service and hospitality employers across the metro will need to plan budget and pricing adjustments well before the effective date.
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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