By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-919185.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Michigan's unemployment rate remains relatively flat. July's jobless rate was 13.1%, a drop of one-tenth of a percentage point. As Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta reports, it indicates there's some stability returning to the automotive industry.
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Unemployment in Michigan typically jumps in July as auto companies and suppliers shut down plants and lay off workers to retool for the new model year. But not this summer. General Motors, for example, can't get crossover vehicles such as the Cadillac SRX and the Buick Enclave to dealers fast enough. To restock inventories, auto companies hired an additional 18 thousand workers, fueling a slight boost in payrolls jobs in Michigan.
The number of unemployed people looking for work dropped by about 3,000. There are 637,000 unemployed jobseekers in the state. But Michigan's jobless rate of 13.1% remains one of the highest in the nation. And when people who've quit looking, as well as part-timers who want full-time jobs are counted, the rate of unemployment and under-employment is 21.5%.