Unemployment rate fell

The August unemployment rate in St. Joseph County fell by more than two percent compared to the previous month.

The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 7.7 percent August unemployment rate was less than July’s 9.8 percent.

The August 2013 unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percent less than the same month in 2012, when the figure was 8 percent.

St. Joseph County fell below the state unemployment average, which was 8.7 percent in August.

The agency said the addition of agriculture-related jobs in St. Joseph County in August had a major impact on the monthly figures.

At 5.8 percent, Barry County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in August, while Hillsdale County had the highest, with 9.4 percent.