LANSING (WKZO-AM) — Michigan’s unemployment rate has hit a plateau at 5 percent, according to numbers released at the Capitol, despite the state adding 9,000 jobs last month.
It matches the national jobless rate and is down 1.6 percent from last October.
Ron Kitchens at Southwest Michigan First says Kalamazoo County’s unemployment rate is even lower than that.
“Where we’re at today is almost one full point under that,” Kitchens said. “We’re seeing number today that economists would say is full employment.”
But he says it could be even lower, but employers can’t find enough skilled workers.
“We’d be at two percent unemployment,” Kitchens said. “So, we’ve got a skills gap.”
It’s not just a problem here — it’s a problem nationwide and one of the reasons why the Governor has launched a campaign to promote vocational and career education.
– John McNeill
