County unemployment down

The November unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by two-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 3.5 percent November unemployment rate was less than October’s 3.7 percent.
November’s unemployment rate was nine-tenths of a percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 4.4 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 4.5 percent in November.
The agency said seasonal retail-trade hiring offset job cuts in construction, business services, and leisure and hospitality.
At 3.2 percent, Allegan County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in November, while Van Buren County had the highest, at 4.8 percent.