The numbers from the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics show the overall 2023 jobless rate is below what it was in 2019 just before the COVID pandemic.
Dylan Schafer is an economist with the center. He says more people have joined the labor force either to work or look for work.
“In Michigan right now, we are seeing that labor force levels are reaching near all-time highs, which implies that more individuals are entering or able to enter the workforce right now.”
He says the reason the month-to-month four-point-three percent number has remained the same is because more people are joining the workforce at roughly the same rate as employers are hiring.