KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — The director of Southwest Michigan First says the Kalamazoo area is still showing signs of economic strength, despite a six-tenths increase in the county’s unemployment rate to 4.1 percent in January.
Ron Kitchens says the number remains at an unprecedented low.
“Our historical average is 5.2 percent,” Kitchens said. “The nation is at 5.3 percent, so this economy is 20 percent better.”
He also says the majority of the new jobs in the region bolster the middle class.
“That happens not because of great economic developers, but great companies that are hiring and investing,” Kitchens said.
Kitchens expects agriculture and manufacturing hiring to pick up in the coming months.
