Michigan jobless rate down 0.1 points to 8.9 pct.

Michigan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate down 0.1 points to 8.8 percent in February

3/27/2013

LANSING — The state says Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percentage points to 8.8 percent in February, as the number of people working rose while the number of jobless people was about flat.

The Department of Technology, Management & Budget said today that the state's jobless rate for February was 0.3 percentage points below the level of 9.1 percent in February, 2012.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 7.7 percent in February, down from 7.9 percent in January. The Ohio rate was 7.0 percent in February.

The state says the number of Michiganians unemployed and seeking work fell 3,000 to 411,000 over the month. It says the number of people working rose 15,000 to 4.245 million.

Department labor information director Rick Waclawek says there have been modest gains in professional services, education, health, and retail employment.