Posted on Fri, May 20, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
Michigan jobless rate falls to 10.2 percent
By AnnArbor.com Staff
Michigan's jobless rate in April fell to 10.2 percent, down from 13.1 percent a year earlier, state officials said.
However, according to a report on MLive.com, "Compared to this time last year, 73,000 fewer people are seeking employment in Michigan. If they were to all jump back in to the job market, Michigan's unemployment rate would be heading north instead of south."
The article also says that since April 2010, Michigan has seen an increase of 57,000 payroll jobs, a 1.5 percent improvement.
The state's unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in March.
Comments
CynicA2
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 5:54 a.m.
Maybe so, Don Bee... I notice neighbors who used to use lawn services now pushing their own mowers and shoveling their own walks. If the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is hiring people with "visas", they probably aren't hiring citizens. So it's not surprising that teens and early twenties are looking at 30%+ unemployment. From what I can see, the only jobs being created are for people who can find them wherever they want, anyway. If the only way we can create significant numbers of jobs is by picking-up 42% of the tab for film companies, or multi-year tax abatements for big corporations, we have a BIG problem.
DonBee
Sat, May 21, 2011 : 3:41 a.m.
Maybe worse CynicA2 - This time of year seasonal hiring for parks, lawn services, and other summer work should be in full swing. Normally that kind of hiring should take 20,000 or more people out of the unemployed pool for the summer months. I don't see it in these numbers. I hope it shows in the next set of figures. Otherwise it will be a bleak summer for many people. I do note that the Government is allowing summer help for seasonal businesses like the Grand Hotel. This allowance grants visas to maids, waiters, and other hotel and venue help.
CynicA2
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
Nice to see that Polly Anna and Rosy Scenario are still creating dreamscapes for A2.com. From the AP Newswire, as reported by CNBC... "Michigan lost 10,200 jobs, the largest decline of any state." Month-over-month, not year-over-year. Also a decline from 10.3% to 10.2%, month-over-month, hardly qualifies as a "fall" - more like a "downtick". "Compared to this time last year, 73,000 fewer people are seeking employment in Michigan." Probably because they packed-up the U-Haul and headed South or West. So all things considered, things are just about the same as last month, right?!