Employers in Michigan submitted 20 WARN Act notices in December 2008, putting at risk an estimated 3,009 workers — down from November and up 48% versus December 2007. The average filing covered 150 workers, with 9 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 572 |
| Transportation | 1 | 98 |
| Utilities | 1 | 68 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 47 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 572 workers across 3 notices. Separately, Transportation reported 98 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne | 4 | 661 |
| Ottawa | 2 | 435 |
| Berrien | 1 | 336 |
| Jackson | 1 | 299 |
| Washtenaw | 1 | 245 |
Wayne saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 22% of all affected workers with 661 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Haven | 1 | 400 |
| Niles | 1 | 336 |
| Detroit | 2 | 325 |
| Jackson | 1 | 299 |
| Ypsilanti | 1 | 245 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 11 | 1,838 |
| Closure | 9 | 1,171 |
Closures accounted for 39% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape Corp | Grand Haven | 400 | Layoff | 2008-12-22 |
| DHL Express | Niles | 336 | Closure | 2008-12-09 |
| Gerdau MacSteel | Jackson | 299 | Layoff | 2008-12-29 |
| Kalitta Air | Ypsilanti | 245 | Layoff | 2008-12-03 |
| Key Plastics | Plymouth | 238 | Layoff | 2008-12-30 |
| Kalitta Air | Oscoda | 219 | Closure | 2008-12-03 |
| DHL Express | Detroit | 200 | Closure | 2008-12-09 |
| Meridian/Magnesium Products of America, Inc | Eaton Rapids | 160 | Layoff | 2008-12-17 |
| Checker Motors Corporation | Kalamazoo | 150 | Layoff | 2008-12-29 |
| Flint Special Services | Detroit | 125 | Closure | 2008-12-15 |
| Nyloncraft | Jonesville | 110 | Layoff | 2008-12-10 |
| DHL Express | Southfield | 100 | Closure | 2008-12-09 |
| USA Jet Airlines, Inc | Belleville | 98 | Layoff | 2008-12-05 |
| Manpower | Allegan | 68 | Closure | 2008-12-30 |
| Musashi | Battle Creek | 55 | Layoff | 2008-12-22 |
Topping the list was Shape Corp at its Grand Haven facility, reporting 400 affected workers. DHL Express followed with 336 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for Michigan's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
