By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-908384.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Nevada has bumped Michigan from the dubious distinction of having the nation's highest unemployment rate. Michigan has topped the jobless list every month since April of 2006.
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Michigan still has not recovered from the massive job losses that accompanied the implosion of the auto industry. But the state's jobless rate has been inching downward in recent months. It fell .04% in May. At the same time, Nevada's unemployment has been climbing as the recession has hurt business at Las Vegas casinos and other tourist destinations, and clobbered its home-building industry. Nevada's jobless rate jumped by 2.5 percentage points last month.
It remains to be seen if Michigan can remain out of the top spot. It's still at number two, ahead of California and Rhode Island. The state is starting to see new jobs, but May's drop in the unemployment rate was largely due to temporary hiring by the U.S. Census, and seasonal work in the food processing industry.