What Michigan plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay
Findings from 465 live postings on manufacturers' own careers sites in Michigan, week of October 19, 2026. Each one shows how many postings it rests on; anything with too few is left out.
What most plant jobs ask for
The typical plant posting in Michigan asks for 5+ years, and 42% require a degree outright. The skills named most are Team leadership, Root cause, Lean.
- Team leadershipnamed in 37% of postingsTop
- Root causenamed in 32% of postings
- Leannamed in 31% of postings
- New product launchnamed in 30% of postings
- Automationnamed in 26% of postings
- Toolingnamed in 26% of postings
- Six Sigma / belt20% of postings
- Travel stated15% of postings
Based on 465 postings. Link to this finding
Unusual opportunities worth a look
Perks and openings most plant postings don't offer, and how many in Michigan do right now.
- Paid relocation9 postings (2%)
- Formal training program21 postings (5%)
- Stated promotion path130 postings (28%)Top
- Tuition help117 postings (25%)
- New plant or launch69 postings (15%)
- Visa sponsorship offered5 postings (1%)
- Hybrid or remote days46 postings (10%)
🔒 6 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Reliability Engineer II - Cement Plant · Amrize · Alpena, MI
Based on 465 postings. Link to this finding
The best-paying open roles right now
The highest posted ranges for engineering-level plant roles in Michigan.
🔒 5 more example roles behind this finding. See them with a free account →
- Closures Systems Launch Engineer · Ford · Allen Park, MI · $133k–$251k
Based on 84 postings. Link to this finding
What experience is worth
Postings asking 5–7 years list a typical base 13% above those asking 0–2 years.
- 0–2 years$104k typical base (25 postings)
- 3–4 years$115k typical base (23 postings)
- 5–7 years$117k typical base (18 postings)Top
Based on 71 postings. Link to this finding
Skills that come as a package
When a posting names Control plans, 84% of the time it also names FMEA. Put pairs like these side by side on your résumé.
- Control plans → FMEA84% (48 postings)Top
- SPC → Root cause83% (40 postings)
- APQP → FMEA78% (32 postings)
- SPC → FMEA77% (37 postings)
- APQP → New product launch76% (31 postings)
- Six Sigma → Lean76% (71 postings)
- PPAP → FMEA75% (40 postings)
- APQP → PPAP73% (30 postings)
Based on 465 postings. Link to this finding
How often a degree is required
42% of plant postings in Michigan require a degree outright. Highest in automotive (44%), lowest in industrial (39%).
- Automotive44% of 273 postingsTop
- Industrial39% of 127 postings
Based on 465 postings. Link to this finding
3 more findings for Michigan
- Off-shift and weekend coverage
- Physical demands
- How much travel
See all 9 findings, with the numbers behind them
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Source and method
- Source
- ShopFloorJobs analysis of 465 live plant job postings from 104 manufacturers' own careers sites (Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, iCIMS, Greenhouse and others), not job boards.
- Collected
- Week of October 19, 2026. Postings are re-checked daily; closed roles drop out.
- Method
- Pay is the middle of each posting's listed range for engineer and senior engineer levels, compared within the same team so a different mix of teams can't create a gap. Rates count postings that state the item. Correlation, not cause; findings with too few postings are left out.
Cite this report
ShopFloorJobs, "What Michigan plant jobs ask for, and what moves pay," Week of October 19, 2026. https://shopfloorjobs.com/reports/insights?state=michigan
Free to quote and share with a link to this page.