Michigan jobless rate falls 0.3 points to 8.5 pct.

4/17/2013

LANSING — The state says Michigan’s unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 8.5 percent in the latest month, as number of people working rose while the number of jobless people shrank.

The Department of Technology, Management & Budget said today that the state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate for March was half a percentage point below the level of 9 percent in March, 2012. It’s now at the lowest point since late 2008.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in March, down from 7.7 percent in February.

The state says the number of Michiganians unemployed and seeking work fell 14,000 to 396,000 over the month. It says the number of people working rose 17,000 to 4.261 million.