Holland's low jobless rate masks a shrinking county workforce.
2.5%
Holland unemployment rate
vs 5.0% Michigan statewide
-3,100 workers
Ottawa County employment change
Sept 2024 to Sept 2025, YoY
$1,157
Ottawa County average weekly wage
up 3.7% YoY, Q3 2025 data
5.0%
Michigan unemployment rate
up from 4.9% in July 2026
This Month's Takeaways
01
A 2.5% jobless rate hides a shrinking labor pool.
Ottawa County lost roughly 3,100 employed residents between September 2024 and 2025, even as Holland's unemployment rate stayed among the state's lowest. Low unemployment paired with a falling payroll count is consistent with workers exiting the labor force rather than a genuinely tight, expanding market.
02
Wage growth outpaces the state's murkier numbers.
Ottawa County's average weekly wage rose 3.7% year-over-year to $1,157 in the most recent quarterly data, ahead of the inflation-adjusted wage erosion showing up nationally. Local purchasing power appears more resilient than the national real-wage picture, a meaningful data point for commerce leaders assessing consumer spending capacity.
03
Manufacturing softness in Michigan has not fully reached Holland yet.
Statewide manufacturing posted the largest month-over-month employment decline in August and cyclical sectors are projected to lose over 16,000 jobs this year. Holland's manufacturing-heavy base warrants monitoring for lagged spillover even though local unemployment data has not yet shown a comparable deterioration.
04
Advertised pay for skilled trades is climbing faster than office roles locally.
HVAC technician pay in the metro ($80,000) now exceeds the national median, while administrative and financial-analyst pay have moved down. Sector-level divergence suggests building-trades and technical labor are tightening locally even as office-based occupations soften, a pattern worth tracking for what it implies about construction and skilled-trade capacity.
Local Economic Conditions
Holland's unemployment rate held at 2.5% in September, among the lowest in Michigan, even as Ottawa County's payroll count fell by roughly 3,100 workers over the prior year and the state's own jobless rate climbed to 5.0%. That divergence — a tight local jobless reading against a shrinking county payroll base — appears consistent with the statewide pattern of falling labor force participation masking underlying softness rather than genuine tightness.
Open Threads in the Data
Local business investment decisions should weigh the gap between Holland's headline unemployment rate and the quieter payroll contraction underneath it; a 2.5% jobless rate reads as strength but may partly reflect residents leaving the labor force rather than employers adding net positions. Ottawa County's 3.7% year-over-year wage growth in average weekly earnings outpaces Michigan's statewide wage data gaps and suggests employers are still competing for the workers who remain active in the market. Commerce leaders should consider evaluating local labor force participation trends alongside the unemployment headline before treating the low jobless rate as a standalone signal of economic strength.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$30,638 |
↑ Moderate increase |
915 |
| Retail Cashier |
$29,120 |
→ Stable |
471 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$37,032 |
↑ Moderate increase |
227 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$75,400 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,363 |
| Delivery Driver |
$35,439 |
→ Stable |
811 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$38,480 |
↑ Moderate increase |
88 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$71,011 |
↑ Moderate increase |
393 |
| HVAC Technician |
$80,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
27 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$38,012 |
→ Stable |
587 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$38,480 |
↓ Moderate decline |
264 |
| Operations Manager |
$81,693 |
→ Stable |
75 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$31,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
72 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$40,300 |
→ Stable |
712 |
| Registered Nurse |
$86,507 |
→ Stable |
995 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$39,792 |
↓ Moderate decline |
252 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$105,951 |
↓ Moderate decline |
78 |
| Data Engineer |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$65,627 |
→ Stable |
168 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$67,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
65 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$64,480 |
↑ Significant increase |
16 |
| Business Analyst |
$82,500 |
↓ Moderate decline |
16 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$77,568 |
↓ Moderate decline |
61 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$47,712 |
↑ Moderate increase |
838 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$70,000 |
↓ Significant decline |
66 |
Industry Snapshot · Holland-Grand Haven, MI MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +5.6% |
↑ +116.1% |
| Manufacturing |
→ −0.7% |
↑ +138.5% |
| Retail Trade |
→ +1.2% |
↑ +81.9% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −12.9% |
↑ +176.8% |
| Information |
↓ −8.3% |
↑ +94.6% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +8.2% |
↑ +125.2% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↓ −20.0% |
↑ +215.8% |
| Education & Health Services |
→ +1.6% |
↑ +173.1% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ +1.0% |
↑ +176.8% |
| Government |
↑ +76.2% |
↑ +1166.7% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Potential inflection point
Ottawa County's payroll contraction has persisted for over a year; watch whether the next county-level jobs release (due in coming weeks) shows the decline stabilizing or deepening, which would clarify whether Holland's low unemployment rate reflects strength or labor-force exit.
Emerging pressure point
Michigan manufacturing employment fell again in August and cyclical sectors are projected to shed over 16,000 jobs statewide in 2026. Holland's manufacturing base makes the metro a candidate for lagged exposure; local WARN filings and county payroll data over the next 60 days will be the clearest early signal.
Worth watching
National wage growth has slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, the weakest real-wage reading since 2021. Ottawa County's 3.7% wage growth currently outpaces that national trend, but a continued national slowdown could pressure local wage gains in coming quarters.
Expected
Michigan's minimum wage is scheduled to rise from $13.73 to $15.00 on January 1, 2027. Retail, food service and hospitality employers across the metro will need to plan budget and pricing adjustments well before the effective date.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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