Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order this week, changing the review process for benefits. The state hopes that step gets money to unemployed workers more quickly.
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
Posted inBusiness Watch
‘There is no playbook’ for Michigan’s businesses to navigate COVID-19
A look at first-quarter financial statements from 20 Michigan-based companies shows the first cracks from the pandemic — and raises questions about how deeply some of the state’s largest businesses will be affected.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Q&A with Brian Calley: 1 in 7 Michigan small businesses worry about survival
COVID-19 continues to pressure the state’s smallest operations, with 45 percent closed and 60 percent laying off at least one employee. Here is what an advocacy group says about the situation and what is needed next.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan college towns were economically stable. Coronavirus changed that.
Cities like Ann Arbor and East Lansing benefit from the ‘economic engines’ of their state universities. Budget shortfalls, potential layoffs and more fallout from COVID-19 now threaten their financial balance, from students shopping in local stores to how many people they employ.
Posted inBusiness Watch
As Michigan economy nears reopening, businesses scramble for protective gear
Like hospitals before them, businesses across the state face the prospect of having to compete for personal protective equipment they expect will be required to reopen but remains in high demand amid the global pandemic.
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‘Scary times’ for Michigan restaurants won’t end when dining rooms reopen
Coronavirus is still battering the state’s restaurant industry, which lost $1.2 billion in sales in April and saw 75 percent of workers laid off. Switching to carry-out and opening for fewer patrons may not be enough for many to survive.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan tribes losing police, health budgets as coronavirus shuts casinos
Casinos insulate Michigan tribal budgets against a chronic shortage of federal funding. But with casinos shuttered to prevent COVID-19 spread, tribal leaders now find themselves wondering how to fund key programs.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Some in Michigan make more from unemployment than work during coronavirus
Businesses in the northeast Lower Peninsula say some workers are not quite ready to return to their jobs, given the boost in income they receive from special federal and state funding during the pandemic lockdown.
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How some Michigan counties are insulated against coronavirus unemployment
Certain places in Michigan are losing more jobs than others. It’s the same old story in a state where manufacturing still dominates the economy in some counties.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Bridge expands Michigan business/economy coverage with acclaimed journalist
Bridge expands its journalism with addition of a Business Watch section and adds the 2019 Michigan Press Association Journalist of the Year to lead coverage.