Ottawa County, MI jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meOttawa County economy
3.6%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.6% the month before
150,460
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
298,614
people in Ottawa County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$87,144
median household income
Source: Census ACS
41%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Ottawa County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs down 1.5% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 3.9% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.6%, unchanged from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: hotels & food (+1,655 jobs), health care (+754 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−4,294 jobs), admin & staffing (−969 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Ottawa County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Northpointe Bank announces 338 layoffs following agreement with CMG to sell mortgage origination channelsWZZM13 on MSN · Nov 5, 2026
Learn and get funded in Ottawa County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Ottawa County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Ottawa County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Employers hiring most in Ottawa County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Gentex Zeeland21 open roles
- Disher8 open roles
- Gentex8 open roles
- Leprino Foods Dairy Products Company8 open roles
- Gentex Zeeland3 open roles
- Grand Valley State University3 open roles
- Design Within Reach2 open roles
- Illinois Tool Works2 open roles
- ODL International2 open roles
- PPG Industries2 open roles
Colleges in Ottawa County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Hope College | Holland | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Western Theological Seminary | Holland | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Ottawa County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Michigan? How to file for unemployment in Michigan (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- West Michigan Works! Workforce Development Board
Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa
West Michigan Works! Service Center: Ottawa County
Holland · Comprehensive · 616-396-2154
M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Cities in Ottawa County
Other Michigan counties
Laid off or looking for work in Ottawa County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Michigan’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Michigan unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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