Michigan is now No. 13 in Chief Executive magazine’s 16th annual Best and Worst States for Business survey, released this week. The state jumped 19 spots, one of the biggest single-year moves in the ranking’s history.
According to Chief Executive, CEOs who selected Michigan as the best state for doing business cited the workforce, regulatory environment, overall favorable business conditions, and growth in the manufacturing sector. The survey captures the perceptions of CEOs on a range of issues.
“What has always set Michigan’s workforce apart is our sense of resiliency, ingenuity, and pride our people bring to their place of business,” says Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Even in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, we have remained focused on supporting the economic needs of small businesses, entrepreneurs, communities, and workers throughout the state, while continuing to work with Michigan businesses and pursuing competitive business growth deals – laying the foundation for sustainable, long-term success.”
The magazine also highlighted the state in an article titled “How Michigan Keeps Advancing.” It features an interview with Josh Hundt, executive vice president and chief business development officer of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and highlights the state’s engineering and manufacturing advantages, economic diversification, and the PlanetM Landing Zone.
“The number one factor we hear from companies of all types is about Michigan’s talent and access to that talent,” Hundt told Chief Executive. “We have the advantage of the highest concentration of engineers in the nation and a top-10 skilled trades workforce, and we are leveraging those strengths for the jobs of the future.”
The survey results are available here, the article is available here, and the full issue of the magazine is available here.
“In one of the best single-year improvements in the history of ‘Best States/Worst States for Business,’ Michigan leapt 19 places to rank No. 13 in the 2020 version,” writes author Dale Buss, who also writes for DBusiness. “But Michiganders will tell you they’ve been laying the groundwork for this kind of improvement for a while.”
