County unemployment down

The August unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by 1 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 3.7 percent August unemployment rate was less than July’s 4.7 percent.
August’s unemployment rate was one-tenth of a percent less than the same month one year earlier, when the figure was 3.8 percent.
St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 4.9 percent in August.
The agency said more people securing employment in the fields of education and business services contributed to the region’s lower unemployment rate for the month.
At 3.3 percent, Allegan County had the region’s lowest unemployment rate in August, while Hillsdale County had the highest, at 4.9 percent.