Seasonally unadjusted jobless rates fell notably in all 17 of Michigan’s major labor market areas during June 2020, according to data released from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB). Michigan’s regional unemployment rates ranged from 10.5 to 17.8 percent in June. June jobless rate cuts were significant, ranging from 3.4 to 8.5 percentage points, with a median drop of 6.0 percentage points. Ann Arbor, Midland, Lansing-East Lansing, Kalamazoo-Portage, and Grand Rapids-Wyoming rounded out the top five performing MSAs. Despite the monthly declines, regional rates remained far above pre-pandemic levels.
Manufacturing in Michigan’s metropolitan areas continued to bounce back in June, adding an unexpectedly strong 76,800 net new jobs. Localintel’s July 2020 update on “Manufacturing Employment Trends in Michigan Metro Areas” confirms Michigan metros outranked all other state metros with an increase of 20.2 percent in manufacturing jobs from May 2020.
| State Metros | Change % | New Jobs | ||
| Michigan metros | +20.2% | +76,800 | ||
| Indiana metros | +3.5% | +11,000 | ||
| Illinois metros | +3.2% | +14,600 | ||
| Ohio metros | +2.9% | +14,600 | ||
| California metros | +2.6% | +30,100 | ||
| Wisconsin metros | +1.4% | +4,400 | ||
| Texas metros | +0.2% | +1,600 |
Of those new jobs, the state’s five largest manufacturing cities generated 84 percent of all new manufacturing jobs in Michigan’s metros last month.
| Metro Area | New Jobs | |
| Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills | +22,400 | |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming | +13,400 | |
| Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia | +23,900 | |
| Kalamazoo-Portage | +2,300 | |
| Lansing-East Lansing | +2,600 |
The national seasonally unadjusted jobless rate decreased by 1.8 percentage points between May and June to 11.2 percent. Michigan’s June rate was 3.7 percentage points higher than that of the U.S. Over the year, the national unemployment rate rose by 7.8 percentage points, while Michigan’s rate advanced by 10.5 percentage points since June 2019.
The Local Story: Branch County Enjoys Most Pronounced Jobless Rate Reduction
Seasonally unadjusted unemployment for the seven-county southwest Michigan region sits at 12.9 percent, compared to 4.3 percent as of June 2019. Jobless rates range from 11.6 percent in Kalamazoo County to 15.2 percent in Calhoun County. The most pronounced jobless rate reduction of 7.0 percentage points occurred in Branch County. The smallest monthly rate decline occurred in Kalamazoo County at 3.7 percentage points. Visit the DTMB’s site to see rankings by county, county labor force numbers, and an overall snapshot of Michigan’s employment.
