Employment Opportunities in the Upper Peninsula

Frequent commenter to Luke's Ponderings, B., prompted me to discuss a very important subject when it comes to living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. So, to start off the very first U.P. Monday blog, I'll be discussing employment opportunities in the U.P. I believe I discussed it before briefly when talking to those individuals who may be interested in moving to the Upper Peninsula to enjoy nature at its best. Let's be honest right from the start - finding good paying jobs that your entire family can live off of is difficult, to say the least. However, it's not totally impossible. And I know that more people are moving to the U.P. who can work at home via the internet. So that definitely makes it nice in today's technological era.

The good paying jobs are found in the following areas: mining, logging, paper mills, criminal justice and heathcare. The Upper Peninsula's founding was based on the rich iron and copper deposits that existed in the region. Currently, no active copper mines are in operation in the U.P., but that could be changing very soon as new companies are exploring the possibility of mining copper again - all thanks to the rise in copper prices. As for the iron ore industry, it's not as vibrant as it once was, however, it still does well in western Marquette county where the two remaining iron mines in the Upper Peninsula crank out iron ore pellets for shipment to steel mills. There's no question the U.P. will always have mining. Even if it's diminished compared to the mining heydays. And who knows; there very well could be a new mining boom of sorts in the years to come.

The Upper Peninsula is also known for its large abundance of trees and forestland. So, it's easy to see why both logging and paper production is big here. However, in recent years, paper mills have started to struggle. A few have closed up here and more may be on the way. The paper industry is having to compete with foreign entities who are able to produce paper products at a cheaper cost. So, it's easy to see why the paper producing industry will face a variety of challenges in the near future. As for the logging industry, it remains quite strong. Every place on this earth needs wood in order to build things. And as long as the forests keep growing, the U.P. will continue to be a powerhouse in the logging industry.

As for the final two higher paying income sources, it's probably typical to every other location in the United States. Heathcare is big region-wide. With the baby-boomer generation reaching retirement age, the need for healthcare in our country increases even more. The healthcare industry will remain very strong as long as an individual majors in a specific field in the medical industry. The Upper Peninsula also has several state prisons located within it - some of them are maximum security prisons. And that doesn't even include the local jails located in each county. Just as with healthcare, there will always be the need for prisons and jails, unfortunately.

And as I mentioned before, if you're able to work from home via the internet and still make an honest earning, then you're doing great. Also, if a person has a specific craft, such as carpentry or painting, then you'll probably do pretty well up here. People always need remodeling done to their homes. Still, it's quite common to see both adults in a household working in order to support a family these days - and that's not only here in the U.P. but nation wide. That's just the way things are these days, unfortunately. With the constant rise in cost of living, it's easy to see why more people need to work.

So that's answers the employment question here in the Upper Peninsula. But it's definitely a multi-faceted topic that'll continue into another day. The U.P. is certainly not immune to the unemployment struggles that have hit our nation in recent years. People are being forced to cut back in these tough times, regardless of the kind of jobs they have. What's important these days is if a person has a job. That certainly makes all the difference.