Motor City Special – Jobs in Demand in Detroit

By Charles Thibault on August 24, 2009

Even though Detroit had suffered from economic problems even before the 2008 financial crisis, several occupations are still in demand in the Detroit-Warren-Livonia metro area when compared to the national average.

Several broad occupational groups have occupations with Hiring Demand that comes in stronger than the national average, particularly in the "Construction and Extraction Occupations" sector. Segments with strong demand for workers are (with the number of occupations that crack the US Top 10):

- Construction and Extraction Occupations (8)

- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (4)

- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations (4)

- Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (4)

There is very strong Hiring Demand for Construction and Extraction Occupations in the Detroit MSA. Indeed, eight occupations in that market crack the US Top 10 – in other words, Detroit is in the Top 10 US Markets for that occupation. All S/D Ratios are greater than 100, indicating Hiring Demand that is greater than the national average, controlling for population size.

Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Even though the automotive industry has taken a hit, Detroit still shows stronger than average Hiring Demand for some basic automotive workers. This does not imply that Hiring Demand for these workers would not have been greater two years ago, it only means that compared to other cities Detroit still shows demand for these types of workers.

Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Several specialized "Arts and Media" Occupations are highly sought after in Detroit. Of particular interest are "Interpreters and Translators", with Detroit being the second hottest market in the US for translators to look for work.

Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Finally, there is stronger than average Hiring Demand for food preparation workers and 'Waiters and Waitresses'. Demand for Bartenders is also quite high, with Detroit coming in 9th in terms of total demand for these workers.