Small businesses in Michigan experienced growth last year.

There were a number of new businesses around the state, thanks to the fastest start to small business growth in more than two decades, according to the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information.

Despite a labor shortage and massive resignations, businesses with fewer than 50 employees created more than 170,000 new jobs last year. M-Live reports that Michigan is home to 902,000 small businesses, representing nearly half of the state’s workforce.