Industry Deep Dives – West Michigan Talent Trends & Insights

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, healthcare, agribusiness have participated, with 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.