Unemployment Rate at Lowest Level Since 2001

Liz Gullett

Mar 11, 2016

According to numbers released this week by the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, January’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 4.9%. In January, the workforce increased by 27,000, while the number of unemployed workers decreased by 6,000. The rate is two-tenths lower than the December 2015 rate and 1.1% below the January 2015 rate. While January’s rate matches the 4.9% rate last seen in June 2001, the state’s labor force and employment levels have decreased by 300,000 during that same timeframe.

The January 2016 unemployment rate for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area also declined to 5.9%, a decrease of two-tenths of a percentage point. Additionally, it is 1.0% lower than the January 2015 rate of 6.9%. During the last calendar year, the area’s labor force increased by 14,000, while the number of unemployed workers decreased by 18,000.

To read the full monthly report, please click here.

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