Employers in Michigan logged 17 WARN Act notices in August 2002, involving roughly 1,765 workers — climbing above July and up 128% versus August 2001. The average filing covered 104 workers, with 12 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 7 | 644 |
| Utilities | 1 | 79 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 77 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 48 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 644 workers across 7 notices. Meanwhile, Utilities reported 79 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne | 7 | 1,062 |
| Oakland | 3 | 200 |
| Kent | 2 | 137 |
| Washtenaw | 1 | 120 |
| Saint Clair | 1 | 79 |
Wayne bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 60% of all affected workers with 1,062 workers across 7 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 2 | 700 |
| Livonia | 2 | 198 |
| Ann Arbor | 1 | 120 |
| E. Grand Rapids | 1 | 90 |
| Grand Rapids | 1 | 80 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 972 |
| Closure | 12 | 793 |
Closures accounted for 45% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Diesel Corp | Detroit | 700 | Layoff | 2002-08-06 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Livonia) | Livonia | 130 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Ann Arbor) | Ann Arbor | 120 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (E. GR) | E. Grand Rapids | 90 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| Owens Corning | Grand Rapids | 80 | Closure | 2002-08-06 |
| Baker Electrical Products, Inc | Memphis | 79 | Layoff | 2002-08-19 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Birmingham) | Birmingham | 78 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Grosse Pte) | Grosse Pointe | 77 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| National City Bank | Southgate | 77 | Layoff | 2002-08-07 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Okemos) | Okemos | 75 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Rchstr Hill | Rochester Hills | 74 | Closure | 2002-08-07 |
| SPX Air Gage | Livonia | 68 | Layoff | 2002-08-26 |
| ITWB&L Plastis | Rockford | 57 | Closure | 2002-08-02 |
| Saturn Electronics & Engineering | Auburn Hills | 48 | Layoff | 2002-08-08 |
| Advanced Transcription Services | Taylor | 10 | Closure | 2002-08-16 |
The biggest impact was at Detroit Diesel Corp at its Detroit facility, reporting 700 affected workers. Jacobsons Stores, Inc. (Livonia) followed with 130 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Michigan labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Michigan. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Michigan WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.
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