Teen Jobless Rate Increases

State officials say even though conditions are improving it’s going to be another tough year for teenagers to find a summer job in Michigan. The Department of Technology, Management & Budget says the teen jobless rate this summer is expected to be 26.5%. That’s a 0.6 percent decline from last summer and down eight-and-a-half percent from the all-time high of 35% in 2010. Even with this slight improvement in the teen jobless rate, the number of unemployed teens is expected to be about 64,300. Teen labor force participation in Michigan has steadily declined from 66% in 2001 to 46 percent in 2013.