State Unemployment Down In December

Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December fell by four-tenths of a percentage point to 6.3 percent, according to data recently released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. The jobless rate in December 2014 was two full percentage points below the state's December 2013 rate of 8.3 percent and is seven-tenths of a percentage point above the national rate of 5.6 percent.

Other data highlights:

– Michigan's December jobless rate was the lowest monthly rate for the state since the November 2002 rate of 6.2 percent.
– The number of unemployed in Michigan fell below 300,000 in December. The last time the number of unemployed in the state was below 300,000 was in October 2001.
– Total employment in Michigan rose in ten of twelve months during 2014.