Michigan Layoffs — April 2009
Employers in Michigan posted 12 WARN Act notices in April 2009, affecting an estimated 1,470 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to March and down 34% versus April 2008. The average filing covered 122 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11 | 1,432 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 38 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,432 workers across 11 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 38 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Macomb | 1 | 400 |
| Van Buren | 1 | 300 |
| Oceana | 1 | 207 |
| Wayne | 3 | 182 |
| Genesee | 1 | 110 |
Macomb felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 27% of all affected workers with 400 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Warren | 1 | 400 |
| South Haven | 1 | 300 |
| Rothbury | 1 | 207 |
| Flint | 1 | 110 |
| Livonia | 1 | 82 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 1,109 |
| Layoff | 4 | 361 |
The high proportion of closures (75% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble International | Warren | 400 | Closure | |
| Noble International | South Haven | 300 | Closure | |
| Carlton Creek Ironworks | Rothbury | 207 | Layoff | |
| Country Fresh | Flint | 110 | Closure | |
| Nyx | Livonia | 82 | Closure | |
| Sara Lee | Marquette | 80 | Closure | |
| American Refractories | White Cloud | 60 | Layoff | |
| Intra | Westland | 56 | Layoff | |
| Johnson Controls, Inc. ("Maplewood") | Holland | 55 | Closure | |
| Observer/Eccentric Newspapers | Detroit | 44 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | Southfield | 38 | Layoff | |
| Noble International | Spring Lake | 38 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Noble International at its Warren facility, reporting 400 affected workers. Noble International followed with 300 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across Michigan, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.