Michigan’s September Unemployment Rate Edges Downward

Lansing – Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September edged down over the month by one-tenth of a percentage point to 9.3 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB).  Total employment in Michigan increased by 11,000 in September, as the state’s labor force rose by 7,000.  The number of unemployed declined slightly by 5,000 over the month.

The Michigan jobless rate in September 2012 was nearly one percentage point below the state’s September 2011 rate of 10.2 percent.  The national jobless rate decreased by one and two-tenths percentage points over this period.  The state’s unemployment rate in September was one and a half percentage points above the national rate of 7.8 percent.  The U.S. jobless rate fell over the month by three-tenths of a percentage point.

“Michigan unemployment rates thus far in 2012 have been well below 2011 levels, and payroll jobs have increased during each of the first three quarters of 2012,” said Rick Waclawek, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.  “Although there have been month to month variations, January to September 2012 payroll jobs in Michigan have averaged 54,000 above the comparable period of 2011.”

Monthly Labor Force Trends & Highlights

·         September marked the first monthly jobless rate decline for the state since April.

·         Through the first nine months of 2012, Michigan’s 2012 average unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, which remains well below the 2011 annual average rate of 10.3 percent.

·         Michigan’s third quarter 2012 unemployment rate of 9.2 percent rose by seven-tenths of a percentage point from the state’s second quarter 2012 rate of 8.5 percent.

·         After three consecutive months of minor reductions during the summer months, Michigan’s workforce level edged up in September.  With six months of growth so far in 2012, the state’s workforce has increased since September 2011 by 18,000.

·         From September 2011 to September 2012, total employment in Michigan rose by 58,000 or 1.4 percent.

·         Since September 2011, the number of unemployed in the state fell by 41,000 or nine percent, which is below the 13 percent reduction nationally over the same period.