Michigan's July Jobless Rate Rises To 10.9 Percent
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Michigan says the state's unemployment rate hit 10.9 percent in July, up 0.4 points from June but still significantly below last July's 12.4 percent rate.
The seasonally adjusted figures released Wednesday by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget show that the number of jobless workers topped 500,000 for the first time since January. The state figure remains above the national rate of 9.1 percent.
Since July 2010, unemployment in Michigan has fallen by 14 percent, outpacing the national rate of decline of about 5 percent.
Total Michigan employment fell by 33,000 in July, while the number of unemployed rose by 15,000.
"People did find jobs in the past month, but unemployment also rose by 15,000. So, the bottom line is actually a jump in the jobless rate," said WWJ Business Editor Murray Feldman.
"It means people are out there looking for work. Often, analysts tell us that people who may have not been looking for work, because they were discouraged, now see some hope," he said, adding that, with the state still struggling, some companies are afraid to hire.
The auto industry saw fewer planned seasonal layoffs in July, causing transportation equipment jobs to increase by 13 percent. Professional and business services jobs dropped by 3,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
