By Rick Pluta
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-923925.mp3
Lansing, MI – Michigan's jobless rate has remained the same or gone down slightly every month since the beginning of the year. Last month was no exception as the unemployment rate remained at 13.1 percent.
Employers shed about 50,000 jobs in August, but there were also fewer people looking for work.
Bruce Weaver, a labor expert with the state Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth, says, "This would be a combination of people who are either discouraged workers, meaning they want a job, but they have stopped seeking a job, as well as other people who may be going back to school to upgrade their skills, so they're not currently in the job market. They might come into the job market if they felt jobs were available, but they're currently in school or taking care of family."
Nevertheless, Weaver says competition remains fierce for available jobs. When you count people who've quit looking, and part-timers who want full-time jobs, Michigan's rate of unemployment and underemployment is 21.4 percent.