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Michigan Jobless Rate Up Slightly in May

WMUK

Michigan’s unemployment rate edged upward very slightly since last month to 5.5 percent. That’s still one and eight-tenths of a percentage point below where the jobless rate was at this time last year. 

A big part of the reason for the increase is more people returning to the workforce to compete for jobs.

“More potential workers entered the labor force than is typical for May,”

said Jason Palmer, director of the state Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

“Payroll jobs recorded a significant gain over the month.”

The slight uptick follows one month after Michigan’s jobless rate fell to match the national average for the first time in 15 years. The average rate of unemployment and under-employment over the past 12 months is 12.9 percent. That also takes into account people who’ve quit looking for work, and part-time workers who’d like to be full-time.

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