April Unemployment Rates

The April unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by nearly 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 6.9 percent April unemployment rate was four-tenths of a percent less than the 7.3 percent rate in March.

Furthermore, the April unemployment rate was 1.1 percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 8 percent.

St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 8.2 percent in April.

The agency said seasonal job additions in the fields of construction and recreation contributed to the region’s unemployment drop.

At 5.4 percent, Barry County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in April, while Hillsdale County had the highest, with 8.8 percent.