Online Job Demand for Preschool Teachers and Childcare Workers Varies Across the State

Preschool Teachers

Note: This article will use Preschool teachers as a shortened version of the full occupational title, Preschool teachers, except special education, for all data and analysis.

Throughout 2024, Preschool teachers had just over 3,200 online job advertisements. This marked a 17 percent increase from 2023. Ads for this occupation peaked in March 2024 (770 ads) and were at their lowest in December (470 ads).

Michigan job advertisements for this occupation were primarily posted within the industries of Child care services and Elementary and secondary schools. With almost 1,900 advertisements, the Child care services sector alone made up more than 58 percent of the occupational ads in 2024. The top posting employers of Preschool teachers were KinderCare Education (800 ads), Learning Care Group (280 ads), and Bright Horizons (150 ads). These three firms made up just over 38 percent of the yearly advertisements.

During 2024, advertisements for this occupation were heavily concentrated in the Detroit Metro (1,650 ads), West (640 ads), and Southeast (370 ads) Michigan Prosperity Regions. Roughly 82 percent of all Preschool teachers annual online job advertisements were posted in these three areas. On its own, the Detroit Metro Prosperity Region accounted for 51 percent of the state’s 2024 online job ads for this occupation.

Childcare Workers

There were 1,150 ads available for Childcare workers in Michigan during 2024. Unlike Preschool teachers, Childcare workers saw a decrease of nearly seven percent in online job ads from 2023 to 2024. This aligned with the roughly seven percent decrease in total advertisements for all occupations over the same period. The drop in advertisements for Childcare workers may not reflect the demand for childcare spots across the state. Rather, this may indicate longstanding challenges within the childcare industry. These difficulties include capacity, below-average pay for workers, cost to families, and more, which are discussed further in MCDA's Michigan Childcare Industry Workforce Analysis report.

Of the ads for this occupation, nearly 42 percent (480 ads) listed a minimum education requirement. Just over 83 percent of the ads listing a requirement specified a high school diploma or GED. This is consistent with the typical education level required for the occupation by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Advertisements for Childcare workers mainly came from the Child care services, Home health care services, and Elementary and secondary school industries. Together, they made up about 37 percent of the total ads for this occupation. The top three job titles advertised for this occupation were Child care professionals (320 ads), Child care assistants (130 ads), and Nannies (110 ads).

Like Preschool teachers, online job advertisements for Childcare workers were typically posted within the Detroit Metro (440 ads), West (220 ads), and Southeast (190 ads) Michigan Prosperity Regions. These areas comprised just under 73 percent of the online job ads for this occupation. With nearly 38 percent of the ads coming from the Detroit Metro Prosperity Region, it was the most significant contributing region for ads.

The Detroit Metro Prosperity Region made up the largest portion of online job advertisements for Preschool teachers and Childcare workers.

Percent of Occupation Ads by Michigan Prosperity Region, 2024 

Source: Help Wanted OnLine, Lightcast Developer

More information about Michigan job advertisements can be found using the Online Job Ad Snapshot Dashboard.