The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) today announced Jason Palmer as the new director of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).

Most recently, Palmer (left) served as the Assistant Commissioner at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Regional Commissioner for the Chicago Region. Prior to that, he was the Director of Michigan’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives (now the Michigan Center for Data Analytics).

Palmer will begin his new role as UIA director on Monday, Feb. 24. He succeeds Julia Dale, who resigned as UIA director in January.

“Jason has the vision and leadership skills to build on UIA’s sweeping transformation in the way it serves Michigan’s workers and employers,” LEO Director Susan Corbin said. “Julia Dale brought stability to the agency and set it on a course for modernization. I am confident Jason will expertly guide UIA as it continues to innovate the delivery of critical benefits to Michiganders.”

At BLS, Palmer was in charge of producing and distributing information and analysis on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes used to support public and private decision making in the 10-state Chicago Region.

Palmer has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from Wayne State University, and a doctorate in Sociology from MSU. He received his Juris Doctorate from the MSU College of Law, is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is licensed to practice law in Michigan.

With a goal of being a national leader in delivering fast, fair, and fraud-free unemployment insurance service, UIA has launched several innovative resources to help workers and employers navigate the unemployment benefits landscape. Among those innovations:

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap, a six-step, user-friendly guide to applying for and understanding benefits. It can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAClaimantRoadmap.
• Online Coaching Sessions, which are web-based group sessions led by UIA staff on topics such as filing a first-time claim, understanding a Monetary Determination letter, the protest and appeals process, and seeking work and registration requirements. The First-time Filer Coaching Session is also available in Spanish.

• The UIA Economic Dashboard, which tracks local and statewide trends in unemployment insurance. Find it at Michigan.gov/UIAEconomicDashboard.

• The UIA Community Connect program with liaisons across Michigan who provide hands-on help for workers navigating the unemployment insurance application process.
• The Employer Help Center, a plain language guide answers employers’ questions on unemployment tax and claim issues and UIA programs. The innovative Help Center can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter.

Need help or have questions about a claim?

Meet with an agent: Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual meeting up to 14 days in advance at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Chat with an agent: Using MiWAM Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Call Customer Service: 1-866-500-0017, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ask Ava: UIA’s chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA can answer many questions.

Find answers: FAQs, videos, toolkits, and other resources can be found at Michigan.gov/UIA. A library of helpful instructional videos can be viewed on YouTube.

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