West Michigan’s talent market is shifting in ways that will set the trajectory for growth over the next decade. Retirement risk is accelerating. Hiring is tight. Skills keep moving. AI is reshaping work—not just tools. That’s why TalentFirst is convening CEOs and senior leaders from key sectors across West Michigan to pair region-specific data with peer insight—and move from signal to strategy.
These CEO-level, executive-exclusive roundtables are built for decision speed, combining fresh labor intelligence from the 13-county region with candid, closed-door dialogue to translate trends into next steps.
To date, leaders from manufacturing, retail & hospitality, energy & construction, legal, and finance & insurance have participated, with healthcare, agribusiness, staffing & HR, and IT & media up next. The series will culminate with an executive cross-sector report distilling the strongest patterns and practical moves—equipping leaders to act with purpose on what’s happening now and what’s next.
What leaders walk away with: concise, local data on what’s changing and how to prepare—pressure-tested in conversation with peers who own the plan, then captured as clear takeaways to run inside their organizations.
Must-have signals leaders are acting on
- The retirement cliff is real. Protect capacity with succession, mentorship, and mid-career upskilling—before knowledge walks out the door.
- Workforce growth is plateauing. Compete on productivity, not headcount. Treat reskilling as strategy, not support.
- Durable skills decide outcomes. Communication, judgment, problem solving—the capabilities that travel across roles and outlast any tool. Build them on purpose.
- AI’s window is open. There’s time to prepare—redesign work, elevate skills, and deploy responsibly—if leaders start now.
- Data beats anecdotes. Real-time, local labor intelligence sharpens where to hire, what to train, and what to stop doing.
Why it matters now
The Deep Dives are assembling a shared, cross-sector picture—what’s common, what’s distinct, and where leadership attention belongs—for employers across West Michigan. The closing report will translate those insights into moves that sustain capacity, competitiveness, and continuity.
Leaders are leaning in because the stakes are clear: capacity, competitiveness, and continuity. If you’re tracking the future of talent here, TalentFirst will provide the data and insights to act on.
Learn more: TalentFirst convenes and equips employers to lead on talent through data, partnership, and policy. Reach out to us to learn how you can get involved upcoming sessions, become a TalentFirst member, and access the end-of-series insights report.
