Unemployment decreases

The March unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by three-tenths of a percent compared to a month earlier.

The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 6.5 percent March unemployment rate was less than February’s 6.8 percent.

In addition, the March unemployment rate was 1.4 percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 7.9 percent.

St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 8 percent in March.

The agency said job additions outpaced the number of new jobseekers, resulting in a decline in the region’s unemployment rate in March. In addition, seasonal employment gains were recorded in construction, leisure hospitality, and professional and business services.

At 6.3 percent, Kalamazoo County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in March, while Van Buren County had the highest, with 9.4 percent.