Fighting For Jobs and Economic Growth

Why I am Fighting For Inclusive Economy?

The average median household income in Detroit is $36,140. This amounts to approximately $17 per hour, working eight hours a day and five days a week. However, the living wage in Detroit for a family of one is $21 per hour. For a family of two, one adult and one child, the living wage jumps to $37 per hour. Detroiters want jobs that pay a living wage, wages their families can survive off. Additionally, they want to live in a city where employers do not put up unnecessary barriers to employment, where there is a reliable public transit system to get them to work, and where there are quality, affordable childcare options for their kids during work hours.

My Vision

The Kinloch administration will create an economy that is inclusive of ALL. We will partner with our employers, our workforce development agencies, our schools, colleges, and universities, and most importantly, with our residents to (1) reward employers who hire Detroiters into liveable wage jobs; (2) build the homegrown talent needed to be ready to fill the jobs; and, (3) eliminate unnecessary barriers to employment.

  • 1. Reward employers who hire Detroiters into livable wage jobs

    ● The Kinloch Administration will launch the “Hire Local” initiative which will provide tax incentives to city employers who hire and retain Detroit residents in livable wage jobs. Additionally, businesses participating in the city’s procurement process with Detroit employees being paid a liveable wage will receive additional points toward their bid scores, advantaging them in the bid award process.

    2. Build homegrown talent

    ● Partner with Detroit’s employer and workforce training ecosystem to develop the “Detroit Jobs for Our Future” strategy. We will identify the specific skills employers need for jobs paying a livable wage and work with our schools, workforce agencies, skilled trades organizations, and higher education institutions to create training pathways for them. Detroit is a national leader in several industries and employers are looking for the talent they need to succeed.

    The Kinloch administration will make sure Detroiters are ready to fill them.

    ● Increase GED and High School completion rates: In today’s economy, most job opportunities paying a reasonable wage require at least a high school diploma or GED. As Mayor, we will increase high school and GED completion rates for our residents by partnering with our local high schools, state and local workforce agencies, and GED training programs to pay any Detroiter over the age of 25 a stipend to complete their GED or receive their high school diploma.

    ● Invest in skilled trades training: The skilled trades economy is thriving in Detroit–leading to a surge in demand for a skilled trades workforce. These jobs offer security and competitive earning potential. As Mayor, we will partner with our high schools, community colleges, workforce training organizations, and skilled trades unions to grow our investment in skilled trades training across the city, ensuring these opportunities remain financially accessible to our residents.

    ● Keep Detroit’s promise: The Detroit Promise was established to help Detroit residents attain post-secondary training opportunities at no cost. Today, around one-third of students accepted into the program are unable to enroll because of issues they face with FAFSA completion or verification. As Mayor, we will launch the “Keep Detroit’s Promise” strategy which will provide students with direct FAFSA completion and verification assistance from certified trainers.

    3. Eliminate barriers to employment

    ● Improve bus service reliability and connectivity: As Mayor, Detroit’s bus service will be a service residents can rely on. This means we must pay our drivers and mechanics a competitive wage and invest in our bus fleets to make sure they are ready to run when we need them.

    ● Increase connectivity to job centers: Many residents work outside the city, requiring investment in connection to regional job centers. I will jumpstart progress to create rapid bus transit along our major transit corridors, Woodward, Gratiot, Grand River and Michigan Ave. We will establish dedicated fast bus lanes and smart transit signals so buses can move without delay.

    ● Reduce unnecessary employer barriers and practices: The Kinloch administration will convene a roundtable of Detroit’s largest employers to identify and eliminate, when appropriate, unnecessary employment practices occurring within their organizations, such as, drug testing, criminal background, and credit checks. As one of the largest employers in the City, city government will be the model employer, identifying and eliminating its own barriers to employment, starting with the doubling of paid parental leave from 6 to 12 weeks and prioritizing Detroit residents for city jobs.

    ● Advocate for a childcare tax credit: As Mayor, I will work with the state legislature to advocate for the adoption of a parent dependent care and an employer child care tax credit. Nearly 30% of households in Detroit face challenges in finding or keeping a job due to child care issues. While working parents struggle, Michigan remains one of only 16 states that does not offer a child care tax credit to employers for investing in childcare for their employees or to parents to help improve childcare affordability.

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