LANSING – News that Michigan’s unemployment rate fell to 5 percent in September, putting it below the national unemployment rate for the first time in 15 years, brought plenty of cheers Wednesday. The national unemployment rate in September was 5.1 percent.
In the past year, the unemployment rate has fallen from 6.7 percent, and employment is up by 68,000.
“We need to stay focused on our goal, but it also is important to look back to see how far we’ve come. Michigan’s unemployment rate was once the worst in the United States,” Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement. “Today we are below the national average for the first time since August 2000. This means more people in Michigan are able to use their skills and are finding fulfilling jobs to support themselves and their families, making our cities and our communities stronger in a variety of ways.”
Snyder posted a photo of him from 2000 on his Twitter feed with much less gray hair and a beard to commemorate the occasion.
Employment rose for the month by 10,000, and the labor force was up, too, by 3,000.
“Since early 2015, several key labor market indicators have shown improvement in Michigan and in the nation,” Jason Palmer, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said in a statement. “Monthly unemployment rates in the state and nation have been comparable, as have over-the-year payroll job growth rates.”
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