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Examinations of social safety net programs are central to the Upjohn Institute’s mission to address causes and solutions to unemployment. Our research assesses effectiveness of current social insurance programs and explores other strategies to keep people in stable jobs and minimize the effect of economic downturns.

Building and maintaining skills for the labor force is a lifelong process, starting with prekindergarten programs and continuing throughout a worker’s career. The Upjohn Institute’s research elucidates how each learning stage and program contributes to a strong workforce.

Our research explores not just the number of jobs, but also the quality of those jobs and how well they support stable households and communities.

We support local governments and economic development agencies by creating master plans, land-use plans, broadband plans, and transportation plans, helping communities optimize the use of shared resources so the community can flourish now and in the future.

We conduct economic impact analysis that helps communities understand the significance of industries or companies in their local economy, assess job implications from economic changes, and determine appropriate investment strategies. These studies provide quantitative estimates of how the local economy, or a specific region, responds to a stimulus, whether positive or negative. By tracing connections across various economic sectors, they calculate multiplier effects, demonstrating how initial impacts ripple through the economy. Regions for economic impact analysis can vary, ranging from municipalities to larger geographic areas with shared economic characteristics, such as a county, metropolitan statistical areas, state, or Census regions.

Geographic Information Systems tools store, visualize, and analyze spatial data, offering crucial insights for planning and economic development. We leverage geospatial analysis (spatial data enrichment and aggregation, overlay analysis, and point pattern analysis) to provide valuable insight into regional data that traditional methods of analysis overlook. Moreover, we use web- based mapping tools to visualize spatial data for our clients and partners to access the same data without requiring specialized software.

Often, the right data to inform a project does not exist. We use surveys to collect primary data bridge this gap, generating unique datasets and uncovering valuable insights not found elsewhere. From empowering local businesses with wage and benefit data to informing housing plans through community input, surveys gather primary data to fuel research and connect stakeholders, driving informed decisions.

Pulse collaborates with key partners to ensure resources are available for providing equitable access to early childhood development experiences, to create and improve learning environments, and to promote the healthy development of children. The foundational belief is that when children thrive, the entire community benefits.

Michigan Works! Southwest manages federal and state programs that prepare the workforce to meet the current and emerging needs of business and industry. Through fostering collaborative partnerships, its team is dedicated to continuous improvement and meaningful transformations in the people, businesses, and communities it serves.

Upjohn Institute research offers insight into specific industries and the labor market as a whole, from locally to nationally and internationally and from both the supply and demand sides. Focal areas include manufacturing, tax incentives and regional collaboration.