Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February edged downward by two-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 14.1 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
Total employment increased by 13,000 in February while unemployment declined by 9,000. The state’s labor force rose slightly by 4,000 over the month. The U.S. jobless rate was unchanged at 9.7 percent in February.
The state’s jobless rate in February 2010 was two and one-tenth percentage points above the February 2009 rate of 12.0 percent. The national jobless rate increased by one and a half percentage points over this period.
“The state’s unemployment rate has fallen slightly in the first two months of 2010, however, payroll jobs have been relatively flat since the summer of 2009” said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Over the last six months, Michigan job levels in construction and manufacturing have also remained stable.”
