MI Unemployment Continues to Decrease

Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped for the sixth consecutive month in February edging down by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.7 percent. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, total employment rose by 26,000 in February and the number of unemployed declined slightly by 4,000. The state’s labor force increased by 21,000 over the month. Spokesman Jason Palmer says Michigan labor market conditions displayed modest improvement in February. Michigan’s jobless rate last month was one and one-tenth percentage points below the state’s February 2013 rate of 8.8 percent. The state’s unemployment rate in February was one percentage point above the national rate of 6.7 percent.