MI Unemployment Falls Slightly

Michigan’s unemployment rate in January fell by a half percentage point to 7.8 percent, the lowest unemployment rate in the state since May 2008. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, total employment rose by 32,000 over the month and the number of jobless declined by 20,000. The state’s labor force increased by 11,000 in January. The Michigan jobless rate in January was one and one-tenth percentage points below the state’s January 2013 rate of 8.9 percent. The state’s unemployment rate in January was one and two-tenths percentage points above the national rate of 6.6 percent.