Michigan Jobless Rate Increases Slightly In May
LANSING (AP) - Michigan says the state's unemployment rate crept up to 10.3 percent in May, pushed higher by the loss of 8,000 government jobs and 3,000 in education and health services.
The seasonally adjusted figures released Wednesday by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget show an increase of 0.1 percentage points since April. The national rate also rose, to 9.1 percent.
Public jobs have been under pressure as local governments deal with falling property tax revenue and cuts in state funding.
Michigan has gained 33,000 nonfarm payroll jobs since May 2010 but lost 13,000 last month. A state labor official says job numbers have been essentially flat since February.
Michigan saw a gain of 4,000 construction jobs in May but lost 5,000 leisure and hospitality jobs.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
