Michigan Layoffs — May 2024
Employers in Michigan filed 9 WARN Act notices in May 2024, impacting roughly 1,003 workers — representing a notable rise over April and up 12% versus May 2023. The average filing covered 111 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 2 | 461 |
| Education | 2 | 267 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 214 |
| Retail | 1 | 33 |
| Transportation | 1 | 27 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 1 |
The Agriculture sector led the way in workforce reductions with 461 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Education reported 267 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ionia | 1 | 400 |
| Ingham | 1 | 145 |
| Clinton | 1 | 122 |
| Washtenaw | 1 | 113 |
| Saint Joseph | 1 | 101 |
Ionia saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 40% of all affected workers with 400 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Saranac | 1 | 400 |
| Lansing | 2 | 267 |
| Milan | 1 | 113 |
| Three Rivers | 1 | 101 |
| Au Gres | 1 | 61 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 575 |
| Layoff | 3 | 428 |
The high proportion of closures (57% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbruck's Poultry Ranch | Saranac | 400 | Layoff | |
| SDH Education West | Lansing | 145 | Closure | |
| Sodexo, Inc. (Lansing School District) | Lansing | 122 | Closure | |
| Georgia-Pacific Corrugated | Milan | 113 | Closure | |
| American Bath Group DBA Aquatic Co | Three Rivers | 101 | Closure | |
| Pure Green | Au Gres | 61 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Service | Canton | 33 | Closure | |
| syncreon (Temperance Facility) (DP World Company) | Temperance | 27 | Layoff | |
| Obvio Health USA | Ann Arbor | 1 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Herbruck's Poultry Ranch at its Saranac facility, reporting 400 affected workers. SDH Education West followed with 145 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 Agriculture 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.