Michigan Layoffs — October 2008
Employers in Michigan submitted 21 WARN Act notices in October 2008, putting at risk an estimated 6,014 workers — up substantially from September and up 158% versus October 2007. The average filing covered 286 workers, with 15 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 19 | 5,831 |
| Construction | 1 | 121 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 62 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 5,831 workers across 19 notices. Separately, Construction reported 121 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 3 | 1,771 |
| Kent | 2 | 1,672 |
| Macomb | 8 | 1,389 |
| Wayne | 2 | 625 |
| Hillsdale | 1 | 133 |
Oakland saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 1,771 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | 1 | 1,500 |
| Auburn Hills | 1 | 1,500 |
| Clinton Township | 2 | 966 |
| Detroit | 1 | 500 |
| Fraser | 4 | 235 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 15 | 3,600 |
| Layoff | 6 | 2,414 |
The high proportion of closures (60% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Grand Rapids Metal Center | Grand Rapids | 1,500 | Closure | |
| Chrysler | Auburn Hills | 1,500 | Layoff | |
| Cadence Innovation | Clinton Township | 780 | Closure | |
| GM Hamtramck Assembly Plant | Detroit | 500 | Layoff | |
| Cadence Innovation | Fraser | 195 | Closure | |
| Cadence Innovation | Clinton Township | 186 | Closure | |
| TrimQuest | Walker | 172 | Closure | |
| Cadence Innovation | Troy | 150 | Closure | |
| Cadence Innovation | Hillsdale | 133 | Closure | |
| Johnson Controls | Rockwood | 125 | Layoff | |
| B&V Construction | Wixom | 121 | Closure | |
| Johnson Controls | Croswell | 120 | Closure | |
| Visteon (ACH) | Saline | 120 | Layoff | |
| FlexNGate | Warren | 106 | Layoff | |
| International Paper | Warren | 82 | Closure |
Topping the list was GM Grand Rapids Metal Center at its Grand Rapids facility, reporting 1,500 affected workers. Chrysler followed with 1,500 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight 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.