Local November unemployment rate is released

The November unemployment rate in St. Joseph County remained unchanged compared to a month earlier.
The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.9 percent November unemployment rate was equal to October’s figure.
November’s unemployment rate was seven-tenths of a percent higher than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 3.2 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 4.5 percent in November.
The agency said an increase in holiday employment helped offset job losses in seasonal occupations, such as leisure, hospitality and business services, and more people securing employment in the fields of education and business services.
At 3.3 percent, Allegan County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in November, while Van Buren County had the highest, at 4.7 percent.