U.P. Unemployment Rate Rises

The resolution of the General Motors strike helped Michigan’s unemployment rate fall a bit in November.

The seasonally unadjusted rate dropped from 3.5 percent in October to 3.2 percent in November.

The Upper Peninsula did not fare so well, as the rate rose from 3.6 percent to 4.2 percent. The increase is customary in the late fall, as seasonal tourism jobs end for the winter. 

Locally, Houghton County’s unemployment rate for November was 3.6 percent. Baraga County was at 5.1 percent, Keweenaw County at 6.1 percent, and Ontonagon County at 6.3 percent.

Ottawa and Washtenaw Counties led the state, with 2.2 percent rates. Mackinac County – traditionally the most reliant on summer tourism jobs – had an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.

See all of the figures here.