Michigan Layoffs — March 2012

Employers in Michigan reported 4 WARN Act notices in March 2012, displacing an estimated 598 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and up 312% versus March 2011. The average filing covered 150 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Information & Technology	1	499

The Information & Technology sector topped the list of affected industries with 499 workers across 1 notice.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Oakland	1	499
Wayne	1	75
Ontonagon	1	14
Kent	1	10

Oakland bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 83% of all affected workers with 499 workers across 1 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
Southfield	1	499
Detroit	1	75
Ontonagon	1	14
Sparta	1	10

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	4	598

The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Verizon Wireless	Southfield	499	Closure	2012-03-09
Starcom	Detroit	75	Closure	2012-03-12
Pamida	Ontonagon	14	Closure	2012-03-02
Pamida	Sparta	10	Closure	2012-03-02

The most significant filing came from Verizon Wireless at its Southfield facility, reporting 499 affected workers. Starcom followed with 75 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Michigan labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology 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.