Mackinac Policy Conference: How Michigan can improve its economic competitiveness

The health of Michigan’s businesses is tied to the state’s economic outputs. And those businesses are dependent on the well-being and educational strength of Michigan schools, which have been sliding in national rankings over the past decade.

Some business leaders, including Business Leaders For Michigan’s Jeff Donofrio, believe that Michigan needs to invest in its schools.

“We need to make sure that we invest in people. One of the things we’ve struggled with in Michigan is that we’re 41^st in labor force participation rates, we’re 44^th in growth. So, we have a lot of people we need to get back into the workforce and a lot of people we need to help move along a career pathway.” – Jeff Donofrio, CEO and president of Business Leaders For Michigan

Listen: The state of Michigan’s economy — and what needs to be done to improve it.

Guest

Jeff Donofrio is the CEO and president of the Business Leaders For Michigan nonprofit, which represents the state’s largest employers. Donofrio says the largest state employers put more than $1 trillion into the economy each year. He wants the state to focus on investments in K-12 education, attracting more people to the state and increasing infrastructure investment.

“We need to make sure that we invest in people,” says Donofrio. “One of the things we’ve struggled with in Michigan is that we’re 41^st in labor force participation rates, we’re 44^th in growth. So, we have a lot of people we need to get back into the workforce and a lot of people we need to help move along a career pathway.”