LANSING – About half of the Michigan workers who moved to Wyoming in search of employment in 2006 have come back as Michigan strives to become more competitive in the job market.

Tom Gallagher, manager of research and planning for the Wyoming Department of Employment said in an average year, Wyoming attracts 900 to 1,000 workers from Michigan.

But in 2006 that number reached 1,734.  That was a record for Wyoming as it saw an 18.5 percent increase in the number of new workersfrom other states in 2006.

Many Michigan residents who go to Wyoming seek employment in the construction and mining industries.

The fact that so many workers left Michigan is not a surprise to John Van Nieuwenhuyzen, chief administrator of the Central Area Michigan Works! in Greenville.

Van Nieuwenhuyzen said that Michigan’s economy and lack of jobs are big reasons for people picking up and moving.

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” he added.  “I still have a job.” Mike Shore, chief communication officer for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said the number of Michigan residents who leave for Wyoming isn’t as much of an issue as it’s made out to be.

Shore said that there are many environmental and way-of-life differences between the two states that bring many back home.

And Gallagher said that the movements follow a predictable pattern:“It’s been pretty consistent for over 10 years, that half of workers who come to Wyoming from Michigan stay and half return home,” Gallagher said. 

And that statistic holds true for many other states that export workers to Wyoming as well, he added.

Shore said the fact that Michigan is doing many things to improve its workforce gets obscured by bad news about the economy and state budget woes.

“More automotive research is done in Michigan than any other state, or Mexico and Canada,” he said.

Shore also spotlights the 21st Century Jobs Fund, which will help to diversify and strengthen the state’s economy through training in technology-based fields.

As far as the workers who left and came back, Susan Corey, manager of the work force development working in Taylor, wants them to know that there’s funding and retraining available to help them.

Accounting, health care and information technology are all fields of job growth in Michigan, said Corey.

But with a low unemployment rate of 2.3 percent and a job growth rate of 4 percent, Wyoming companies will continue to seek skilled workers from other states, even if it’s only temporary, Gallagher said.

That doesn’t concern Corey, who added, “There’s something magical about Michigan – and people come back.”