Michigan unemployment rate drops 0.4 points to 8.4 percent, compared with 6.7 percent U.S. rate

1/22/2014

LANSING — Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen 0.4 percentage points to 8.4 percent in the latest month as the workforce shrank while more held jobs.

The state Department of Technology, Management and Budget announced the December job figure today. It followed a 0.2-point drop in November.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points in December to 6.7 percent.

Michigan’s jobless rate is down 0.5 percentage points from one year earlier.

The state agency says Michigan seasonally adjusted civilian workforce fell by 13,000 in the latest month to 4.694 million from November to December. It says the number of people working rose by 7,000 to 4.3 million.

The state says total employment in Michigan is up by 73,000 since December, 2012.