LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The State of Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 6.5 percentage points to 14.8 percent in June, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.
The revised Michigan jobless rate in May was 21.3 percent. Total employment in June was up by 464,000 but was still 556,000 below February pre-pandemic levels.
The national jobless rate decreased by 2.2 percentage points between May and June to 11.1 percent, putting Michigan’s June rate 3.7 percentage points higher than the U.S. rate.
“Michigan’s labor market in June recorded a notable rebound in jobs, led by significant recalls in the auto industry,” said Jason Palmer, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “The state unemployment rate also fell significantly but remains well above pre-pandemic levels and is comparable with rates recorded during the Great Recession in 2009.”
Michigan’s June 2020 rate of 14.8 percent was comparable to Great Recession levels and was two-tenths of a percentage point above the peak Great Recession jobless rate of 14.6 percent during June 2009.
State officials say on a percentage basis, Michigan’s leisure and hospitality sector displayed the largest over-the-month employment gain, but the industry remains the hardest hit with the highest over-the-year payroll job reduction (-44.0 percent).
