Michigan’s August jobless rate holds at 13.1 percent; manufacturing, government jobs decline

Michigan’s Aug. jobless rate holds at 13.1 percent

DETROIT — Michigan’s unemployment rate held steady at 13.1 percent in August from July even as payroll jobs dropped by 50,000 and the number of overall jobless also declined, according to figures released Wednesday.

Michigan lost about 20,000 manufacturing jobs and 11,000 professional and business services jobs last month, state officials said. Government jobs fell by 11,000, including 4,000 temporary census workers.

The number of unemployed declined about 3,000 to 634,000. The state’s August unemployment rate was flat as the size of Michigan’s labor force was down by 15,000 from July, while total employment fell 13,000.

August’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate released by the state Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth was down from August 2009’s 14.3 percent. Compared with August 2009, the number of unemployed was down 64,000, or 9.2 percent.

“Michigan’s jobless rate in 2010 fell from January through June, and has been flat over the last three months,” Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said in a statement. “Payroll jobs declined in August, more than offsetting the job gain recorded in July.

“Michigan job levels have stabilized somewhat since August 2009.”

The state’s August unemployment rate remained significantly above the national level of 9.6 percent. It had the nation’s second-highest unemployment rate in July, trailing only Nevada.

Manufacturing jobs had increased in July as automakers and suppliers that normally lay off workers in the summer to retool didn’t do so because of strong demand, officials said. That trend reversed in August, but manufacturing job levels remained similar to the average level for the first eight months of the year.

Online:

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth: www.michigan.gov/dleg