LANSING — The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is laying off up to 15% of its workforce amid funding restraints, a spokeswoman confirmed Sept. 17.
Danielle Emerson said in an email that the state agency remains focused on supporting small business, investing in communities, growing an innovation economy, and promoting travel and tourism, "while remaining responsive to fiscal reality."
In a statement, MEDC CEO Quentin Messer, Jr. said the "difficult decision to execute a workforce reduction" was not reflective of the staff but declining revenues.
Emerson would not immediately say how many of the MEDC's more than 300 employees would be affected.
The imminent layoffs were first
reported by Crain's Detroit Business.
The MEDC has been under pressure and increased scrutiny amid growing resistance in the Legislature to corporate handouts as incentives to attract business and a criminal investigation by the Attorney General's Office into at least one grant awarded by the Legislature and administered by the MEDC.
“Our mission to achieve long-term economic prosperity for Michiganders remains as important as ever,” Messer, Jr., said. “The environment in which we operate continues to evolve rapidly, and the MEDC is not immune to those pressures. The difficult decision to execute a workforce reduction is a result of declining corporate revenue, not a reflection of the important contributions of MEDC staff members who have dedicated years of honest, ethical, and deeply committed work to this organization and the more than 10 million Michiganders we serve.
"Our people are the reason I remain so proud of the work we do on behalf of Michigan.”
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MEDC to lay off up to 15% of its workforce
