LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7 percent in October when more people entered the job market for a second straight month.
The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget said Thursday the state’s workforce grew by 22,000 during the month, with total employment rising by 14,000 and the number of unemployed people increasing by 8,000.
Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives Director Jason Palmer said Michigan’s labor force growth of 1.5 percent so far in 2016 has outpaced the national rate of 1.2 percent. The state recorded a minor workforce reduction in 2015.
Michigan’s October jobless rate was lower than the state’s October 2015 rate of 5.1 percent and two-tenths of a percentage point below the national rate.