State Jobless Rate Creeps Up

Michigan’s unemployment rate in May edged upward slightly by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.5 percent. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, total employment, the number of unemployed, and the state’s labor force were little changed from April to May. Spokesman Jason Palmer says despite May’s slight jobless rate uptick, Michigan’s unemployment rate remains well below 2013 levels. The jobless rate last month was one and four-tenths percentage points below the state’s May 2013 rate of 8.9 percent.The national unemployment rate in May was 6.3 percent.