Muskegon County is looking strong going in to 2020
Dr. Paul Isely
“Muskegon’s economy outperformed the rest of West Michigan in 2019,” said Dr. Paul Isely, in his annual economic forecast delivered at the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce’s Business for Breakfast, a sold-out gathering of 400 local business leaders.
While 2019 was a strong year for Muskegon’s business community, 2020 predictions indicate continued upward momentum. “Growth in West Michigan will continue, just at a slower rate,” says Isely, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University. Isely and his team gathered data on a local, regional, and national basis to determine what the economic future of Muskegon County looks like.
The job growth predicted for Muskegon County in 2020 will primarily be jobs around Construction, Leisure, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities. Manufacturing still plays a large part of Muskegon’s economy according to Isely, “The highest density of CNC operators in the world are located in Muskegon County.”
Isely projects an increase of availability of workers in Muskegon County for 2020, one determining factor to this increase is that employees who work in Muskegon County are choosing to live along the lakeshore.
Dr. Isely holds his Ph.D. and M.S. in Economics from Purdue University and a dual B.S. in Physics and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
To view the 2020 Economic Forecast click here.