Local unemployment rate continues to go down

The December unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by one-tenth of 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 4 percent December unemployment rate was less than November’s 4.1 percent.
December’s unemployment rate was 2.9 percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 6.9 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 5.6 percent in December.
The agency said more people securing seasonal employment contributed to the region’s stable rate for the month.
At 3.9 percent, Kalamazoo County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in December, while Hillsdale County had the highest, at 5.4 percent.
St. Joseph County recorded considerable workforce additions from the start to the end of the year, with an increase of 1,525, workers over the 12-month period.