Unemployment rate jumps up

Published 3:17 am Thursday, June 18, 2009

By Staff
Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in May jumped upward by one and two-tenths percentage points to 14.1 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth (DELEG).
Total employment fell by 54,000 over the month while unemployment rose by 55,000, leaving the state's labor force essentially flat from April to May.
The U.S. unemployment rate rose by half a percentage point in May to 9.4 percent.
Michigan's May 2009 jobless rate was 5.9 percentage points above the state's May 2008 rate of 8.2 percent.
In the same period, the national jobless rate also registered a significant advance, rising by 3.9 percentage points.
"Major events continued to unfold in Michigan's auto industry in May, which had a considerable impact on the state's unemployment rate," said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. "Curtailed production negatively influenced suppliers and other related sectors, resulting in further weakening in the labor market."