Michigan is among Top 5 states for 2009 mass layoffs

Although Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 14.6 percent, it does not top the list for the most mass layoffs in 2009.

California suffered the largest number of mass layoffs with Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio rounding out the top five, as reported by the Detroit News.

Nationwide mass layoffs — firings by a single company of 50 or more employees, whether temporary or permanent — reached 28,030. The Detroit News reported this is the highest number of mass layoffs recorded since 1996, when records of mass firings were first kept. About 2.8 million workers nationwide lost their jobs during last year’s layoffs, according to new government data released Wednesday.

Michigan’s mass layoffs increased 12 percent in 2009, after spiking to a 23 percent increase in 2008. Although the percentage of mass layoffs is down from 2008, the Detroit News reported the average number of laid-off workers per mass layoff increased from 31 in 2008 to 140 workers in 2009.

According to the Detroit News, 2001 was the only year worse for Michigan due to the recession and terrorist attacks that year.

While this data shows how many workers lost jobs in the mass layoffs, it does not state how many of those layoffs were temporary or permanent.

"My gut says that were getting more permanent downsizing than we had in 2001," economist Don Grimes of the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy told the Detroit News. For more information from The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100128/BIZ/1280351/1001/Michigan-in-U.S.-top-five-for-layoffs#ixzz0dtFvt9mA

Wind power blows in potential Saginaw Bay Area jobs

The recent designation as a “primary wind energy resource zone” in the Great Lakes Saginaw Bay region will likely create green jobs.

Saginaw, Bay, Tuscola, Huron and Sanilac counties received the designation Wednesday from the Michigan Public Service Commission, reported the Saginaw News.

Parts of Allegan County along Lake Michigan were also designated as primary zones, and the Saginaw News reported additional locations may be designated as well.

“Michigan has taken a giant step forward in harnessing its abundant wind energy, which has gone virtually untapped,” agency Chairman Orjiakor Isiogu said in a statement Wednesday. “Transmission companies will now be able to expedite siting of the transmission projects needed to move the wind energy onto the electric grid.”

Isiogu predicts this green, renewable energy initiative will create “many renewable energy jobs.”

Job hunters, recruiters utilizing Twitter

Scouring newspaper classified ads for available positions is a job search tactic of days past.

Job hunters today have found a new search device— Twitter.

Tweeting allows recruiters and human resource departments to quickly and cheaply reach a large audience of job seekers, and they have increasingly utilized the social media Web site to announce job postings and connect with potential hires.

The New York Times Bits blog reports 340,000 jobs have been listed on Twitter within the past month, said William Fischer, co-founder of WorkDigital, which created TwitJobSearch, a Web site that searches Twitter for jobs.

On the flip side, job seekers can follow companies' human resources departments, career coaches, recruiters and job boards, including MLive’s classified job listings at http://twitter.com/Michigan_Jobs.

The newest feature job seekers should use is JobDeck, a new device from TwitJobSearch and TweetDeck, a desktop Twitter application that allows users to control their various social media accounts from one application.

JobDeck allows job hunters to find Tweets from human resources professionals, set up continuous searches and find the status of listing updates from LinkedIn, a professional networking Web site that recently formed a partnership with Twitter. Advertisers, such as KFC and Adidas, also submit job postings and can pay for premium placement within the search engine results, according to the New York Times Bits blog.

Several employers are finding Twitter to be a successful recruitment tool, sparing them time, money and other inconveniences related to traditional advertising.

Richard Barton, chief executive of the real estate Web site Zillow.com, found his company “deluged with resumes” after tweeting on Jan. 7, “Greg Slyngstad & I are cooking up a consumer internet startup. R U our founding CTO? Seeking smart, passionate team-builder.”

Barton told the New York Times Bits blog, “It’s the most powerful recruiting tool I’ve ever used.”

Tata Consultancy Services brings 1,250 jobs to Midland

Tata Consultancy Services, one of eight companies approved Tuesday for tax credits by the Economic Growth Authority, will create 1,250 new jobs in Midland.

The information technology services and consulting company plans to establish a Business Process Service Center, a $12.5 million investment, in Midland. Vision Mid Michigan reports this business center will provide core business services such as financial consulting, order processing, information technology and other services. The center is also applying for a property tax abatement from the city of Midland.

During its initial phase, the project is expected to create 500 jobs, and an additional 750 jobs are expected to be created in subsequent phases.

According to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the increased economic activity created by this project will create 1,119 indirect jobs, for a total of 2,369 direct and indirect jobs created.

The state tax credit approved by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority is valued at $22.1 million over ten years, which officials hope will encourage the company headquartered in Mumbai, India, to expand operations in Mid-Michigan.

Brief: New jobs coming to Benzie County

An United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant awarded in Benzie County today may create between 25 and 50 jobs, reports 9 and 10 News.

The grant will be used to upgrade the village of Honor's sewage system and improve groundwater quality. The village's current waste lifts have been used for about 40 years, and this grant will fund new pumps, basic controls and some electrical plans, according to 9 and 10 News.

The Northern Michigan village plans to begin the improvements this spring.

No Worker Left Behind, is it the right choice for you?

Are you unemployed in Michigan?

If your answer is yes, then the state of Michigan may have a solution for you.

Roughly 110,00 Michigan residents have returned to school for further job training through Michigan's "No Worker Left Behind" (NWLB) program, reports a Fox News blog. Of the program's graduates, 72 percent have found work in their new careers.

The program, which began two years ago, offers up to $10,000-worth of tuition for two years of education at a community college, university or other approved training program.

As Michigan jobs are transitioning away from manufacturing to more computerized professions, more and more workers statewide are taking advantage of this program. A Fox News blogger reports the waiting list already has reached 16,000 hopeful participants.

Enrolling 100,000 residents by November 2009 - 10 months earlier than expected - the NWLB program has exceeded initial expectations, and the Great Lakes state has acquired emergency grants to keep the program alive and assisting Michigan's workforce.

Michigan residents who are unemployed, have received a termination or layoff notice, or have a family income of less than $40,000 qualify for the program. Receiving unemployment benefits does not disqualify residents from enrolling.

To apply, residents should visit their local Michigan Works! Agency. To find your nearest Michigan Works! location, click this link: http://www.michiganworks.org/ or call 1-800-285-WORK (9675).

The first steps include attending a NWLB orientation and completing various assessments.

With career and course advising and financial aid eligibility, program participants can receive a post-secondary certificate or degree for their desired field.

Training programs that qualify for NWLB are generally entrepreneurial, in high demand or emerging sector occupations, such as many professions in the alternative and renewable energy industry. High demand occupations vary across the state, so potential participants should look at the NWLB web page, http://www.michigan.gov/nwlb/0,1607,7-242-47890---,00.html, to find which jobs are needed in their area.

Upon completion of secondary-education training, the NWLB program offers job placement counseling, resume building assistance and a job search through the Michigan Talent Bank.

For more information about the "No Worker Left Behind" program, visit http://www.michigan.gov/nwlb.

Are 800,000 Great Lakes jobs at risk?

Asian carp are invading the Great Lakes, jeopardizing the health of native Great Lakes species and 800,000 Michigan jobs, says Attorney General Mike Cox.

The Associated Press reports Cox along with the attorneys general of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio sent a joint letter to President Obama. The letter sent Monday requests a White House meeting to discuss preventing the Asian carp from further invasion.

The attorneys general hope talks will lead to the closure of some Chicago locks, which could prevent the spread of Asian carps.

However, the White House refuses to close the locks, reports LegalNewsline.com because in court papers the White House explained this could endanger public safety and disrupt local commerce. The closure would likely disrupt Coast Guard operations in the Chicago area.

Additionally, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has said closing the Chicago locks could harm the Chicago-area economy, as reported by LegalNewsline.com.

Salmon Unlimited, an Illinois not-for-profit organization representing sport fishing interests in southern Lake Michigan and its tributaries, supports the closing of the locks. In a statement reported in a Chicago Sun Times blog, the organization states, “At risk is a $7.5 billion sport fishing industry located in the Great Lakes, and according to the biologists, the fish are now beyond the locks. It is our opinions that immediate action is required and closing the locks will not only slow the progress of the Asian carp, but will also increase the urgency of our government to decide on a more encompassing solution.”