Unemployment decreases in St. Joseph County

The December unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by half 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 3.4 percent December unemployment rate was less than November’s 3.9 percent.
However, December’s unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percent higher than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 3.1 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 4.4 percent in December.
The agency said seasonal retail hiring lessened in December after the peak of the holiday shopping season, and some temporary cuts in education-related jobs with the onset of winter break. It said labor markets recorded typical seasonal job cuts in sectors such as business services, construction, and leisure and hospitality.
St. Joseph, Allegan, Kalamazoo and Barry counties tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the region for the month, while Van Buren County had the highest monthly unemployment rate, at 5.5 percent.