Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA — October 2026
Holland's labor force shrinks as skilled-trades wages climb.
Ottawa County shed roughly 3,100 workers from its labor force even as unemployment held near 3.7%, while HVAC and construction pay rose significantly — a story of tightening capacity alongside steady demand.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Ottawa County unemployment: 3.7% — vs Michigan 5.0%, US 4.1% (Sept 2026)
- Ottawa County labor force change: -3,100 workers — Year-over-year through Sept 2025, latest available
- Ottawa County avg weekly wage: $1,157 — Up 3.7% year-over-year, Q3 2025
- Employers planning expansion: 33% — Projected $7.5M investment, 12 jobs per project avg
Key takeaways
Stable unemployment is hiding a shrinking workforce.
Ottawa County lost roughly 3,100 workers from its labor force year-over-year while unemployment stayed near 3.7%, a pattern mirrored statewide where Michigan's labor force fell 158,000 even as unemployment held near 5.0%. Low joblessness in this environment reflects fewer people in the labor market, with job creation holding steady rather than strengthening.
Skilled trades wages are outrunning the rest of the basket.
HVAC technician and construction laborer pay both rose significantly locally, outpacing most other tracked roles in the metro, consistent with the regional finding that 87% of in-demand positions require skilled qualifications. Projects tied to the one-third of employers planning expansion may face longer timelines or higher costs where trades capacity is the binding constraint.
Healthcare's weight in the local economy keeps growing.
Healthcare already employs one in ten metro workers, and Holland Hospital's early-2026 career fair spanning entry-level through professional roles signals sustained demand across the skill spectrum. That concentration makes the sector's health a disproportionate factor in overall metro labor market stability.
Office and professional pay softness breaks from the trades story.
Software engineer, financial analyst, and operations manager pay all moved down locally even as skilled trades and healthcare wages climbed, a divergence that suggests demand strength is concentrated rather than broad-based. Commerce leaders evaluating the metro's business climate should read sector-level signals separately rather than relying on a single aggregate wage figure.
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 | $24,240 | $30,160 | $33,358 | Moderate increase | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,663 | $29,113 | $31,026 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,095 | $37,440 | $41,600 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,397 | $75,400 | $85,000 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,981 | $36,098 | $40,142 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $32,873 | $41,600 | $43,680 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $58,880 | $71,011 | $71,735 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,734 | $38,324 | $40,664 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,611 | $40,196 | $43,680 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,826 | $31,027 | $32,240 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $34,252 | $40,509 | $43,680 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $33,488 | $40,730 | $44,248 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $60,075 | $80,000 | $81,120 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,500 | $86,507 | $90,000 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $49,237 | $105,504 | $125,375 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,151 | $136,328 | $154,349 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $55,000 | $64,090 | $71,524 | Moderate decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,097 | $72,689 | $81,542 | Significant decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $60,080 | $67,499 | $67,900 | Significant decline | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $46,524 | $64,568 | $65,000 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $60,000 | $75,349 | $92,184 | Moderate decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $33,217 | $43,680 | $52,000 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,000 | $72,500 | $86,054 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $43,753 | $65,000 | $65,000 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $77,500 | $82,500 | $103,199 | Stable | $98,302 |
* 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 | $59,715 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $49,712 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,463 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $52,000 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $45,799 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $56,837 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $42,791 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $38,532 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,240 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,487 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Ottawa County's labor force contracted by roughly 3,100 workers over the year even as its unemployment rate held near 3.7%, a pattern consistent with the statewide story of participation decline masking headline stability, with fewer workers in the labor market driving the numbers more than job growth. Healthcare continues to anchor regional employment at one in ten jobs, while 85% of area employers report stable or increasing sales and a third plan expansion within three years — demand signals that run up against a labor and housing supply constrained enough that 87% of in-demand roles require skilled qualifications.
What it means
Expansion plans across the metro are colliding with a shrinking labor pool even amid strong demand, which reframes the binding constraint for commerce leaders from sales growth to workforce and housing capacity. Advertised wage gains in construction labor (up significantly) and HVAC (up significantly) suggest employers are already competing for scarce skilled trades talent as projects move forward, a dynamic that affects project costs and timelines across any sector relying on building, maintenance, or logistics capacity. Commerce leaders should consider evaluating how local housing supply and skilled-trades pipeline capacity, alongside wage trends, factor into economic development project planning.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Michigan's labor force participation rate fell to 58.5% statewide; whether Ottawa County tracks that decline or holds steadier will shape how much of the area's expansion pipeline can actually be staffed locally over the next two quarters.
Emerging pressure point: Skilled trades wage growth (HVAC, construction) outpacing other categories locally may signal tightening capacity for building and infrastructure work tied to the one-third of area employers planning expansion projects averaging $7.5 million each.
Early indicator: H-1B certified applications in the Holland area fell to 4 in FY2026 Q1, down a third from a year earlier — a small but trackable data point on how federal immigration policy shifts may affect specialized talent availability locally, presented here as fact without a policy judgment.
Potential inflection point: Michigan's third-quarter payroll contraction, concentrated in services and professional/business services, has not yet shown up as a clear Ottawa County trend; a confirming or diverging read in the next labor market release would clarify whether the metro is insulated from the statewide softening.
Sources
- Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget — Ottawa County lost 3,100 workers from labor force year-over-year through Sept 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Employment and Wages — Ottawa County unemployment at 3.7%, average weekly wage $1,157 in Q3 2025
- Regional employer survey data — 85% of employers report stable/increasing sales; 87% of in-demand jobs require skilled roles
- Michigan Center for Data and Analytics — Michigan labor force participation rate fell to 58.5%
- H-1B Scope — H-1B certified applications in Holland fell to 4 in FY2026 Q1, down 33%
- Holland Hospital — Healthcare employs one in ten workers regionally; Holland Hospital career fair February 2026
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.