Michigan Layoffs — November 2003
Employers in Michigan filed 7 WARN Act notices in November 2003, impacting roughly 1,600 workers — representing a notable rise over October and up 358% versus November 2002. The average filing covered 229 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 1,415 |
| Retail | 1 | 125 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 60 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,415 workers across 5 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 125 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ingham | 1 | 920 |
| Shiawassee | 1 | 180 |
| Macomb | 1 | 130 |
| Wayne | 1 | 125 |
| Saint Clair | 1 | 105 |
Ingham bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 57% of all affected workers with 920 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lansing | 1 | 920 |
| Owosso | 1 | 180 |
| Warren | 1 | 130 |
| Southgate | 1 | 125 |
| Marysville | 1 | 105 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 1,000 |
| Closure | 5 | 600 |
Closures accounted for 38% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM (Lansing Car Ass'y) | Lansing | 920 | Layoff | |
| Regal Plastics | Owosso | 180 | Closure | |
| Flex N Gate | Warren | 130 | Closure | |
| Toys R Us | Southgate | 125 | Closure | |
| Marysville Plastics | Marysville | 105 | Closure | |
| Means Industries | Vassar | 80 | Layoff | |
| Apex Digital | Oak Park | 60 | Closure |
The single largest action involved GM (Lansing Car Ass'y) at its Lansing facility, reporting 920 affected workers. Regal Plastics followed with 180 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Michigan labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.