WASHINGTON: Monroe County’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate ticked down again in December. The county’s average unemployment rate for 2016 was 4 percent – down from 4.4 percent in 2015. The state annual average was down to 4.8 percent for 2016 compared to 5.4 percent in 2015, according to the state’s office of budget and management. The month-to-month comparison of countywide unemployment also dropped slightly. Monroe County’s November unemployment rate was 3.7 percent. For December, the rate decreased to 3.4 percent, but was up from last December’s rate of 3.3 percent. Overall, the county had 74,500 employees with 2,600 people unemployed. Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates in December rose in nine of the state’s 17 major labor markets. Total employment and labor force levels fell seasonally over the month in nearly all regions.
“Michigan’s local labor markets reported fairly typical movement in December, with northern regions posting large seasonal jobless rate increases while the southern areas recorded mostly marginal changes,” said Jason Palmer, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information & Strategic Initiatives. “Overall in 2016, all major labor markets in the state showed unemployment rate declines.” Monroe County’s unemployment rate was the 11th lowest in the state of the 83 counties. Washtenaw County had the lowest recorded unemployment at 2.6 percent while Mackinac County recorded the highest rate at 17.2 percent. Since December, 2015, total employment declined in 11 of the 17 regions. Over the holiday hiring season from September to December 2016, jobs in retail trade rose by 10,000 in the state, which was somewhat less than the 13,000 gain over the same period in 2015.
