Center for Economic Analysis

Higher educational attainment of the workforce is associated with greater employment growth and greater employment stability of the Great Lakes region metropolitan areas. In the study, ten‐year employment growth from 1990 to 2010 of 62 metropolitan areas in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin were compared to respective levels education attainment and employment diversity in 1990 and 2000. The findings show a strong correlation with educational attainment and 10‐year employment growth and a strong negative association with employment swings. Further findings show that industrial diversity enhances economic growth and reduces swings in employment. The findings are significant as policy makers struggle to design policies that generate economic growth.