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State jobless rate drops slightly to 13 percent

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-930308.mp3

LANSING, MI –
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Michigan's unemployment rate fell slightly last month to 13 percent. As we hear from Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta, unemployment in the state remains high, but Michigan is improving at a faster rate than the rest of the country.

AUDIO:
The state jobless rate has dropped steadily throughout 2010 and is one and a half percentage points lower than it was at this time last year. Bruce Weaver is an economist with the state Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth. He says one reason for that is how quickly manufacturers shed jobs last year, and now many of those workers have been called back.

"It was just a much faster increase in 2009 than occurred nationally and, therefore, we've recovered slightly faster this year than the US has," he explains.

But unemployment is still very high - 625,000 people in Michigan are out of work and looking for jobs. When people who have quit looking for work, or part-timers who want more hours are counted, Michigan's rate of unemployment and underemployment is 21.3%.


reWorking Michigan
For more on job creation and workforce evolution in Michigan, visit WKAR.org/reworkingmichigan

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