11-03-2025
Michigan Employment Insurance Agency rolls out help for laid off federal workers
Some federal workers in Michigan are suddenly without a job after the Trump administration's recent job cuts. The administration's decision to slash jobs has prompted state agencies like Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency to develop resources for workers to land their next gig.
February was a rough month for federal job cuts. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10,000 federal jobs were cut.
"We have seen an uptick in the number of claims filed by federal workers," said Jason Palmer, director of Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency.
Palmer says that since many of the federal workforce layoffs happened recently, there isn't an official count of how many were lost here in Michigan.
"We wanted to get ahead of any large layoffs and have some resources available," said Palmer.
The UIA has rolled out a website specifically for federal workers on the job hunt.
"There's some specific resources for the federal workers, like what specific forms they might need. Then the website goes on to help them connect with workforce development, help with the job search through the Michigan Works office, and a bunch of resources not only for the unemployment side but also getting back to work," Palmer said.
Palmer suggests workers beginning the unemployment process visit the website and the Unemployment Roadmap.
"[That] gives a really easy-to-follow six-step process on filing your unemployment insurance claim," Palmer said.
Palmer encourages federal workers to utilize the resources on the website and consider state government jobs.
"There's a lot of really skilled folks here in these federal jobs, so we might have something that they could do in the state, and we'd encourage them to look at those jobs as well," Palmer said.
