Declining Unemployment Rate, Coupled with Decline in Labor Force

Liz Gullett

Declining Unemployment Rate, Coupled with Decline in Labor Force

Jun 16, 2017

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2017 was 4.2%, a decline of a half percentage point from the prior month. Additionally, the rate is six-tenths of a percentage point lower than the May 2016. Last month’s jobless rate was the lowest it’s been in Michigan since December 2000; however, labor force and employment levels remain below the 2000 levels. According to the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, the main driver for the decline in May’s jobless rate was labor force withdrawal.

In the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metropolitan Area, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month was 4.6%, a decline of seven-tenths of a percentage points from the prior month. The regions workforce declined by 4,000 last month, while total employment increased by 11,000, and the number of unemployed decreased by 15,000.

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