March unemployment up in St. Joseph County

The March unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by one-tenth 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 3.8 percent March unemployment rate was greater than February’s 3.7 percent.
March’s unemployment rate was 1 percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 4.8 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 5.1 percent in March.
The agency said cuts in the areas of manufacturing, trade, transportation, utilities and government contributed to the slight jobless-rate increase.
At 3.7 percent, Kalamazoo County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in March, while Van Buren County had the highest, at 6.1 percent.