Updates are planned for next month to the state’s Work Share Program, administered by the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA). The change will give employers more options for adjusting work hours and preventing layoffs. The change was part of bipartisan legislation passed in December 2024. It’s designed to give employers more flexibility during temporary downturns while at the same time helping employees stay connected to their jobs and retain some of their lost pay.
Key Points:
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- Through Work Share, employers can reduce employee hours without laying off their trained and experienced workforce. Workers then receive partial unemployment benefits to offset some of their lost wages.
- Beginning the week of July 19, the allowable reduction in employee working hours for employers with an approved Work Share plan will expand from 15%-45% to 15%-60%.
- In 2025, the Work Share program prevented 1,458 layoffs and supported 14,392 weeks of work. Additionally, it saved the unemployment system approximately $6 million.
To qualify, employers must:
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- Maintain a positive UIA account balance.
- Include all employees in the affected work unit.
- Limit each plan to no more than 52 consecutive weeks.
- Exclude seasonal, temporary, or intermittent workers.
