jobless

A one-tenth of a percentage point decrease in Michigan's unemployment rate over two months might seem like good news, but experts say Michigan's economy is growing slowly.

Benefits for unemployed workers in Michigan will increase again to as much as $530 a week as part of step-wise increases in jobless benefits under a law signed last year.

Michigan’s July unemployment rate was 1.1 percentage point higher than the national rate. It is also half a percentage point higher than it was at this time a year ago.

Jobless workers will be able to collect unemployment benefits for a little more than six months under bills signed Monday by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget released October jobs data Thursday, showing Michigan’s jobless rate last month ticked up to 4.7%.

Michigan’s jobless rate leveled off at 4.5% percent in August and September. That followed small upticks in unemployment over the summer.

Michigan’s jobless rate ticked up in August to 4.5% percent. This is the third month in a row the state unemployment rate has bumped up.

Michigan’s jobless rate edged up slightly in July to 4.4%. The big driver of that number was people joining the labor market.

"Individuals are not having issues entering the labor force and they’re not having issues finding work at this time,” says an economic manager with the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics.

The UAW strike against the Detroit Three sent workers to picket lines and forced layoffs by suppliers as the state’s jobless rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point.