Mid Michigan Jobless Picture Gradually Improving
Gratiot County’s unemployment rate fell below 10 percent for the first time in 30 months during May, according to an analysis of figures from the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
Gratiot County recorded an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent during May, the state said. The drop in unemployment below double digits marked the end of 29 straight months of double-digit unemployment.
The entire four-county mid-Michigan region comprised of Clare, Gratiot, Isabella and Montcalm counties also recorded an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, the analysis of the state unemployment figures said.
More people are working in mid-Michigan, and fewer people are seeking work. The state said a total of 1,421 more people had jobs in May 2011 compared to May 2010, while the work force, comprised of people with jobs and looking for work, fell by 972 compared to last May.
In Gratiot County, early 400 more people had jobs this year compared to last year. The unemployment rate fell from April 2011’s 10 percent.
Montcalm County is still reporting double digit unemployment at 11 percent, but that’s down from April’s 12.1 percent.
The number of jobs in Montcalm County has gone up by more than 500 compared to last May, but it was the 37th straight month of double-digit joblessness.
Clare County’s unemployment went rate down to 12.6 percent, but that was only because fewer people were looking for work. Year-to-year, the county reported 32 fewer jobs.
It was Clare County’s 42nd consecutive month of double-digit unemployment. In April, the unemployment rate was 13.2 percent; in May 2010, it was 15.3 percent.
Isabella County was at 7.4 percent in May, tied for the fifth-lowest county unemployment rate in Michigan with Barry County. That was a slight increase in the rate over April, when it was 7.2 percent.
“The minor jobless rate increases in May throughout the southern part of the state mainly reflected the seasonal influx of workers into the labor market seeking summer and seasonal employment,” said Rick Waclawek, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information & Strategic Initiatives. “While many did find jobs by mid-May, others did not.”
Compared to May 2010, nearly 500 more people were working in Isabella County.
Statewide, seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was at 10.3 percent, up slightly from April’s 10 percent. The state said about 34,000 people more people were working in May 2011 compared to May 2010.
Michigan’s lowest unemployment rate was in Mackinac County, where the tourist-driven economy geared up for the season. The rate there was 6.2 percent.
Clinton County was second at 6.7 percent, followed by Washtenaw County at 6.8, Eaton County at 7.3, and Barry and Isabella counties at 7.4. Midland County was at 7.8 percent.
But 52 of Michigan’s 83 counties remained with double-digit unemployment.
The state’s most severe unemployment rate remained in the Upper Peninsula’s Baraga County, where May unemployment was pegged at 18.7 percent.