Detroit, MI · Engineering & automotive recruiting
Careerscape is a national staffing and recruiting agency whose industry-specialized recruiters work remotely for Detroit employers and candidates. Below: where the metro's auto, EV and battery programs actually stand in October 2026, what engineers and tradespeople earn here, and the Michigan rules that shape a hire.
Program status board
Since 2025 the Detroit automakers have pulled back on fully electric vehicles and shifted plants toward gas, hybrid and range-extended models. One national factor: the federal new clean vehicle credit is not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. Here is the status of the programs that drive local hiring, as last reported.
GM's full-size EV plant (Hummer EV, Silverado EV, Sierra EV, Escalade IQ) moved to one shift in January 2026, with 1,200 workers on indefinite layoff. About 1,300 more were temporarily laid off from March 16 to April 13, 2026 to match production with EV demand.
Orion, north of Auburn Hills, is being retooled to build the gas Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade, with production expected to start in early 2027.
Ford ended production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning in December 2025 and moved those workers to Dearborn Truck, which added a third crew for gas and hybrid F-150s. A next Lightning will be a range-extended EV; Ford has not given a launch date.
Production began in June 2026 with about 500 workers and a goal of 1,700. In December 2025 Ford said the plant will also make batteries for a new energy-storage business. Marshall is in Calhoun County, well west of the metro.
Built as GM's third Ultium Cells plant, it became wholly owned by LG Energy Solution in May 2025. As of August 2026 it makes LFP cells for stationary energy storage, with about 900 workers and plans for up to 1,700.
In its October 2025 $13 billion U.S. plan, Stellantis said Warren Truck will build a new large SUV in gas and range-extended versions from 2028, adding more than 900 jobs, and the Jefferson plant will launch the next Dodge Durango in 2029. Both depend on final state and local incentive deals.
By the numbers
Labor-market figures are for the Detroit metro area from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, not seasonally adjusted. September 2026 values are preliminary.
Roles we recruit
Demand is moving from all-electric programs to gas, hybrid and range-extended vehicles, plus batteries for energy storage. Engineers who can work across powertrains, and trades who keep plants running, are the common thread.
Pay benchmarks
Median annual wages in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, from the latest federal wage survey. These are local figures, not national ones.
| Role | Median annual pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $168,550 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Software developers | $130,760 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Electrical engineers | $114,390 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Mechanical engineers | $109,470 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Industrial engineers | $104,110 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Electricians | $81,990 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| First-line supervisors of production workers | $75,490 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Tool and die makers | $73,120 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | $71,100 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
| CNC tool programmers | $65,870 | BLS OEWS, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA, May 2025 |
The metro median for all occupations is $52,080. Ann Arbor is a separate metro area: there, mechanical engineers have a median of $127,310 (May 2025, BLS OEWS Ann Arbor MSA). For 450+ roles, see the 2026 Salary Guide.
Where the work is
Each Detroit automaker anchors a different part of the region, so the same job title can mean a very different commute. Most of this work is on-site or hybrid.
GM moved its headquarters from the Renaissance Center to four floors of Hudson's Detroit on Woodward Avenue in January 2026. Ford's Michigan Central Station in Corktown, opened in June 2024, holds Ford and partner teams, with the Newlab startup hub next door. GM's Factory Zero, the former Detroit-Hamtramck plant, and Stellantis's Jefferson plant are also in the city.
Ford's home. Its new 2.1 million-square-foot Ford World Headquarters opened in November 2025, with the full move expected in 2027. Dearborn Truck, part of the historic Rouge complex, is also in Dearborn.
Macomb County's engineering and assembly belt: GM's 710-acre Global Technical Center, Stellantis's Warren Truck (Jeep Wagoneer today, a new large SUV from 2028) and Sterling Heights Assembly, which builds the Ram 1500.
Stellantis runs North America from the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, the most visible site of a late-2025 push to hire nearly 2,000 people in the U.S. in engineering, manufacturing and quality. Supplier BorgWarner is headquartered in Auburn Hills; Troy, down I-75, is a large suburban office market. GM's Orion Assembly is just north.
Its own metro area, in Washtenaw County west of Detroit. Home to the University of Michigan and its Mcity mobility test facility, and to Toyota's North American R&D operations in Ann Arbor and nearby York Township.
For employers
Points that come up most in engineering, plant and trades hiring, current as of October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Michigan's minimum wage became $13.73 an hour on January 1, 2026, with tipped workers at $5.49. Under 2025 legislation it is scheduled to reach $15 in 2027.
The amended Earned Sick Time Act took effect February 21, 2025, with small employers given until October 1, 2025. Workers accrue one hour per 30 worked. Employers with more than 10 employees can cap use at 72 hours a year or frontload 72 hours; smaller employers, 40.
Since February 13, 2024, private-sector union contracts can again require dues as a condition of employment. Michigan also reinstated prevailing wage on state-funded construction. Both matter for plant, trades and contractor staffing.
Michigan does not require pay ranges in job ads. A remote or multi-state posting can still fall under rules in states that do require them, such as Illinois or Colorado.
MCL 445.774a lets employers use non-competes that protect reasonable business interests and are reasonable in duration, geography and type of work. A court can narrow one that goes too far. A 2025 bill to void physician non-competes has not passed.
Michigan's 2026 income tax rate is 4.25%. The City of Detroit adds 2.4% for residents and 1.2% for nonresidents who work in the city, which affects take-home pay for a downtown versus suburban job.
For job seekers
Practical points before you apply or accept an offer here.
With plants moving to gas, hybrid and range-extended programs, experience across powertrains travels further than an EV-only resume. Battery skills still count, increasingly for energy-storage products.
Plant, lab and launch roles are on-site. Office policies are strict too: Ford has required most salaried staff on campus four days a week since September 1, 2025, and Stellantis has required U.S. office staff on-site five days a week since March 30, 2026.
A Michigan journeyman electrician license requires at least 8,000 hours of experience over at least four years under a licensed electrician, and the applicant must be at least 20.
A job inside Detroit city limits carries city income tax (1.2% for nonresidents, 2.4% if you live in the city). Check the Salary Guide for role-level ranges.
We have no Detroit office; our recruiters specialize by industry and work by phone and video. Submit your resume or browse open jobs. It is free, and confidential if you are employed now.
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