Michigan’s monthly jobless rate has dropped to its lowest rate in 17 years. That has more to do with fewer people looking for work than new hiring.
The pool of people who are employed hunting for jobs fell by 29 thousand last month. That helped drive the jobless rate down to three-point-eight percent.
But Bruce Weaver with the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information says hiring is up over the past 12 months, especially in business services, temp work, and construction.
“Most industries in Michigan have added jobs over the year. The one exception to the rule would be the retail sector.”
Weaver says that’s because retail chains are closing brick and mortar stores.
When people who’ve quit looking for work, and part-timers who want full-time jobs are factored in, Michigan’s rate of unemployment and under-employment is nine and a half percent.