ANN ARBOR – If you're happy in your current job, Thursday's employment report probably isn't cause for alarm. If you're hoping for a raise, planning to switch employers, graduating from college or hiring workers for your business, it's a different story. The U.S. labor market isn't collapsing. It's becoming more competitive. At the same time,
GRAND RAPIDS – Michigan's economy continues to expand, but new data from West Michigan suggests employers may be becoming more cautious about hiring as concerns grow over consumer spending, global uncertainty and the future direction of the manufacturing sector. A monthly survey conducted by Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business found West Michigan
LANSING - Navigating unemployment insurance just got easier in Michigan. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has launched an artificial intelligence-powered website chatbot to deliver quick and accurate responses to questions from workers and employers. UIA is the first State of Michigan agency to offer the innovative chatbot on its public website. Users also can
LANSING - Since March 15, approximately 2.1 million eligible claimants have applied for state and federal benefits, with $11.4 billion in benefits paid to more 2 million workers, the Michigan Unemployment Office Reported. The agency also announced that it has now cleared a majority of all accounts that were flagged for further identity verification due
LANSING - Michigan’s self-employed workers, gig workers, 1099-independent contractors and low-wage workers affected by COVID-19 can apply for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance April 13 at 8AM. Under the federal CARES Act, workers on state unemployment have already begun receiving the set $600 federal weekly payment in addition to their state benefit amount. Michigan is one
DETROIT - For the week ending April 4, the State of Michigan experienced a new high in initial unemployment insurance claims, with 384,844 initial claims, reports The Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan, an increase of 80,509 claims, or 26.5 percent, from the week prior. While this increase looks numerically smaller than that of the
LANSING - The state's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced it has paid off a $3.2 billion debt to the feds, meaning a break for Michigan businesses that no longer have to pay the obligation assessment as part of their unemployment taxes. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office said this means $55 million will now stay with businesses,
LANSING - Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged in August from July at 4.5 percent, but the state saw both its total labor force and number of people working fall in August. Governor Rick Snyder still praised the news, saying Michigan's jobless rate is below the national August unemployment rate of 4.9 percent. "As
LANSING - The state's unemployment system, already under heavy scrutiny from a pair of lawsuits and the subject of legislation to make major changes, suffered another blow Thursday with an audit sharply critical of its much criticized automated fraud detection system. Several of those cited for fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits have said the Unemployment Insurance
