Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the workgroup members that will support the efforts of the new Growing Michigan Together Council, and I am proud to be named among the talented and esteemed professionals from across our state selected to help do that important work.

The Growing Michigan Together Council was established by the governor this past June to build a brighter future for Michigan by developing a statewide strategy to grow our state’s population, improve educational outcomes for students, attract and retain talent, and build long-term, sustainable state infrastructure.

The work of the council and the supporting workgroups comes at a crucial time as, earlier this year, a comprehensive data analysis by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Altarum brought to light that Michigan has been falling behind other states over the past five decades in a number of areas key to a prosperous future. Those key areas include population growth, jobs, earnings, educational achievement, health, and the quality of public services at the state and local levels.

Among many of its findings, the Citizens Research Council-Altarum analysis shows that Michigan’s population growth has lagged the nation for the past 50 years and the state’s population grew slower than all but one other state from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, the analysis reports a projected loss of an additional 270,000 people statewide on net to other states by 2050.

More locally, here in Alpena County, the analysis shows a projected loss of up to 4% of the population from 2020 to 2050, and several surrounding counties are projected to see a population decline of more than 4% in that same timeframe. In fact, the Citizens Research Council and Altarum count the northeast region among three areas in Michigan seeing the most concentrated population declines, along with the Upper Peninsula and the Thumb region.

In the analysis, the Citizens Research Council and Altarum warn that, without policy changes and investments, the state’s current path will lead to a shrinking population and continuing declines in Michigan’s competitiveness and quality of life.

It is with that in mind that I fully recognize how vitally important the work of the Growing Michigan Together team will be, and I’m honored to be a part of the team’s efforts to change our state’s current path.

I will be serving on the Jobs, Talent and People workgroup for the council, which has been charged with proposing a specific population goal for Michigan by 2050 based on comprehensive economic development strategies.

Our workgroup will provide policy recommendations to advance solid, equitable investments that reflect the state’s growth in communities of color — which have historically been left out of prosperity and, according to the Citizens Research Council-Altarum analysis, are projected to make up 40% of Michigan’s working population by 2050. We will also develop policy recommendations to ensure domestic and international migration to Michigan — which has become increasingly important for our state’s future population growth, especially given that the natural increase in the population here in Michigan is expected to turn negative — more deaths than births — by 2040.

Additionally, we will be giving direction on how to leverage our state’s natural resources as well as expected climate migration from other states, and we will be identifying potential future workforce shortages in Michigan and creating targeted programs to attract the talent to fill those gaps.

While many of the findings shared by the Citizens Research Council and Altarum are sobering, there are real opportunities for us to take action now to change our state’s current trajectory.

Here at the Michigan League for Public Policy, we have long advocated for investing in what we value most: our people. We must continue to make that a top priority in our work, and that will most certainly be at the heart of my service on the Growing Michigan Together team.

To grow our population and build a brighter future for our state, we must make Michigan a more attractive place for people to live. We can do that by focusing on improving the wellbeing of all Michiganders through smart policy decisions and people-centered budget priorities.

Monique Stanton is president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy.