County unemployment rate lower

June’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was one-tenth of a percent lower than the previous month.
The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.8 percent June unemployment rate marked a decrease from May’s 3.9 percent.
St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 4 percent in June.
The agency said summer layoffs of support staff in the education sector had less of an impact in St. Joseph County compared to others in Michigan. Leisure and hospitality, meanwhile, contributed to the decrease in the county’s unemployment last month.
Kalamazoo County featured the lowest unemployment rate in the region in June, at 3.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Van Buren County had the region’s highest, at 4.9 percent.
Cass County’s unemployment rate for the month was 4 percent.