© 2024 Interlochen
CLASSICAL IPR | 88.7 FM Interlochen | 94.7 FM Traverse City | 88.5 FM Mackinaw City IPR NEWS | 91.5 FM Traverse City | 90.1 FM Harbor Springs/Petoskey | 89.7 FM Manistee/Ludington
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Michigan jobless numbers improved in October, but COVID-19 surge may mean trouble

steve carmody
/
Michigan Radio
Credit steve carmody / Michigan Radio
/
Michigan Radio

Michigan’s latest monthly joblessnumbers show improvement, though they come from before the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget says the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in October dropped to 5.5%. It was the state’s lowest jobless rate since March.

But like in March, Michigan workers are facing an uncertain future as rising COVID-19 cases and new state restrictions put strains on employers.

Earlier this week, state unemployment officials urged Michiganders who are facing losing a job for a second time this year to reopen their claim online.

Since mid-March, more than 2.2 million Michiganders have received state and federal jobless benefits.

Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting. During his two and a half decades in broadcasting, Steve has won numerous awards, including accolades from the Associated Press and Radio and Television News Directors Association. Away from the broadcast booth, Steve is an avid reader and movie fanatic. Q&A