This summer, Michigan Works! West Central saw a similar number of job seekers as in 2024 for their hiring parties.

A total of 632 job seekers attended one of six events hosted by Michigan Works! in Big Rapids, Newaygo, Ludington, Hart, Baldwin, or Reed City. This number is comparable to what they saw a year ago, when 638 attendees participated. The number of employers was also similar. In 2025, 174 employers attended, six fewer than the previous year.

“As far as employers go, we had strong representation from local manufacturing, health care, nonprofit agencies, and education providers,” said Jonathan Eppley, Communication and Marketing Manager. “Also on-site were skilled trades, financial, social services, transportation, and more.”

In 2025, Michigan Works! reported that 144 of the 632 attendees were hired by their respective companies, a 23% job placement rate, about 15 percentage points lower than in 2024.

This was the fourth year Michigan Works! hosted hiring events, with a total of 1,936 job seekers and 676 employers participating across all events. Eppley said the organization plans to host summer parties once again in 2026. 

For more information, visit https://www.mwwc.org/.