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Layoffs and Discharges Rate Falls in November, Matching Four-Year Low

February 11, 2026

Michigan’s job openings rate declined in the latest release of the state Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). All other rates included in the survey also declined, such as the hires rate, separations rate, labor turnover rate, quits rate, and the layoffs/discharges rate.

Job Openings Declined

Michigan recorded roughly 219,000 job openings in November, a decrease of 27,000 from the month prior. This resulted in a 0.5 percentage point drop in the job openings rate, a measure of job openings as a percentage of employment, to 4.6 percent. Michigan was above the national rate (4.3 percent) and 23rd among other states.

The unemployed persons to job openings ratio was recorded at 1.15 in November. When this ratio is greater than one, it indicates that the number of individuals available to work in Michigan exceeded the number of job openings during this time. Michigan was above the national ratio (1.09) and 10th highest among other states. 

Job Openings and Labor Turnover

Author:

Krystal Jones

Economic Analyst

Michigan’s job openings rate saw a steep decline in November.

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Source: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Labor Turnover Slowed

The labor turnover rate, a combination of the hires and separations rates, fell to 7.0 percent (-1.6 percentage points). While both elements of the labor turnover rate decreased in November, this substantial decline was caused largely by a fall in the separations rate. Michigan was above the national rate at this time (6.4 percent) and 21st among other states.

Hires Declined

There were approximately 171,000 hires in November, a drop of roughly 27,000 from October (198,000). As a result, the hires rate, a measure of hires as a percentage of employment, fell to 3.8 percent (-0.6 percentage points). Despite this decline, Michigan’s separations rate mirrored the national rate (3.2 percent) and was 13th among other states. 

Involuntary Separations Moved the Separations Rate Down

Michigan’s separations rate, a measure of separations as a percentage of employment, fell to 3.2 percent in November (-1.1 percentage points). This was due to approximately 48,000 fewer individuals separating from their jobs in November (146,000) than October (194,000). Michigan’s separations rate ranked 32nd among other states and was equal to the national rate during this time. 

The layoffs/discharges rate, a measure of involuntary separations, was the main driver of this decline. There were approximately 27,000 layoffs/discharges in November, a decrease of roughly 33,000 from October (60,000). This resulted in a 0.7 percentage point decline in the layoffs/discharges rate to 0.6 percent. Notably, this was the lowest recorded rate since February 2022 (0.6 percent). The quits rate, the other component of separations and a measure of quits as a percentage of employment, also declined to 2.5 percent (-0.3 percentage points). This was due to approximately 12,000 fewer recorded quits in November (125,000) than in the month prior (137,000). Michigan was above the national quits rate (2.0 percent) and was eighth highest among other states.

Michigan’s November layoffs and discharges rate matched the four-year low. 

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Source: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


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