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A year after some feared collapse, Michigan’s economy is weathering the storm but warning signs remain. Jobs in the hospitality industry, exemplified here by Mackinac Island, are down. Here are more than two dozen metics you need to know to understand the recovery, from average income and housing prices to debt and productivity.
The extraordinary package expected to come to a U.S. House vote as soon as Tuesday provides months of economic protection to households across Michigan, too much say some critics. Here are some ways families, schools and businesses will be impacted.
What happens when you tell jobless workers to log in on Monday? They log in. Up to 340,000 login attempts per hour set a new record, crashing the state’s system as workers tried to reset benefits that expired in December.
The state’s computer system Monday was unresponsive for many workers seeking access to the unemployment benefits system. It’s the latest in a series of technology failures impacting workers put out of work by COVID.
When the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, Michigan will still be grappling with COVID, which is why lawmakers must act to improve the state's unemployment system.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican lawmakers are preparing separate stimulus proposals, while some extension of unemployment benefits is possible during a lame-duck session that probably will be less dramatic than previous years.
Steve Gray was brought in to resolve problems getting benefits that he helped expose. But a little more than a year into the job, he has resigned from the system that was overrun by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a marathon session, the GOP-led Legislature also passed bills demanding subpoena power over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointees and approved a non-binding measure opposing defunding the police.
Economic relief programs that helped the state’s businesses and jobless now are on hold as the United States pauses new stimulus talks and the state confronts upheaval that impacts state unemployment benefits.
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling invalidating executive orders from governor also could jeopardize unemployment pay extensions. Tensions are flaring, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calling Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey an “anti-masker.”
The state qualifies for a 20-week benefits extension, but not all workers will receive it. Some also are still waiting for $300-a-week bonus payments due to another fraud investigation.
As the new school year ramps up and the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, parents are having to make tough financial decisions. Nonprofits and social service agencies say they see families struggling to purchase materials for school, access child care and put food on the table.
Michigan’s reserves to pay jobless claims are dwindling amid record unemployment claims. Starting Jan. 1, employers would have to pay more into the system, but some lawmakers want to avoid that prospect.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announces simplified renewal forms for millions of residents who may need food or cash assistance or other state benefits.
Consumer spending is up amid the pandemic, as Michigan residents are spending federal bailout money designed to keep the economy going amid the pandemic. But state economists warn Michigan still faces tough times.
Nearly a million Michiganders who have lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic will eventually qualify for $300 per week in extra unemployment benefits, but the payments could take weeks to arrive and may last just weeks more.
