Michigan Unemployment Rate Continues to Drop

The unemployment rate in Michigan dropped slightly in February to 14.1 percent. That marks a 0.2 percent decrease from the previous month and is the lowest rate in Michigan since last June.

While Michigan remains well above the national unemployment rate of 9.7 percent for February, payroll jobs have managed to hold relatively steady since last summer, according to the Associated Press.

“The state’s unemployment rate has fallen slightly in the first two months of 2010, however, payroll jobs have been relatively flat since the summer of 2009,” said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Over the last six months, Michigan job levels in construction and manufacturing have also remained stable.”

Total employment in the state increased by 13,000 and unemployment fell by 9,000.  Total non-farm payroll jobs dropped by about 16,000 in February. Manufacturing accounted for about 5,000 of the lost jobs.