UPPER PENINSULA, MI (October 3, 2022) – The Upper Peninsula Collaborative Development Council
(UPCDC), which consists of local economic and community development organizations and planning agencies
from across the U.P., as well as Michigan Works and InvestUP, has retained the consulting services of TIP
Strategies, Inc. to commence a first-of-its kind comprehensive Upper Peninsula county-by-county labor market
study. The study will address several key areas including measuring wages & benefits, workforce shortages,
seasonal employment impacts, commuter trends, barriers to employment and impact on jobseeker
considerations, and retention, expansion, and attraction of business, investment, and talent. The study will also
focus on researching existing workforce infrastructure, providing industry training projections, and identifying
resources and best practices for greater economic prosperity.
“The largest challenge we all have in common across the U.P. is the declining labor pool. A comprehensive
U.P.‐wide labor market study will help not only each county but the region as a whole understand workforce
and economic impacts and implications related to specific industry sectors prevalent in their communities. If we
are going to grow the labor pool, we need to understand what is keeping people from working, what needs to
happen to reverse the trend, and how we can impact this change,” said InvestUP CEO Marty Fittante. Echoing
this sentiment, Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! CEO Bill Raymond added, “This Labor Market Study will aid
our organization, service providers, and most importantly the private sector to zero in on impactful measures to
retain the talent that resides here and attract the working families we need to sustain the in-demand needs of
U.P, employers now and into the future.”
TIP Strategies Senior Partner Jeff Marcell spoke to their unique organizational strengths. “This is an exciting
project for our firm. TIP Senior Consultant, Elizabeth Scott, is located in Houghton and will be serving as the
project manager and I am thrilled to be the principal-in-charge for this effort. Our team has led a number of
projects in Michigan in recent years and has a strong appreciation for the unique quality of life and amenities
that the UP offers. We look forward to working with the region to develop data-driven strategies to strengthen
and diversify the regional economy.”
Funding for this project comes from a Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) grant, as well as
a matching funds grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). The study will begin this
October, and the results will be completed and made available in late spring of 2023. Fittante noted, “This
undertaking is possible only because of the strong working partnership that exists between the varied economic,
community and workforce development stakeholders across the Upper Peninsula, and their collective decision
that the best use of these funds was to invest in a comprehensive labor market study that will, in the end, permit
a strategic approach to effectuate real change in the U.P. labor market and assist U.P. employers.”
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