The number of Michiganders that filed first-time jobless claims the week ending May 14 was 6,652, a decrease from the 7,025 first-time claims filed the week of April 7.
The federal data also shows that the number of Michiganders filing continuing unemployment claims, those who already filed an initial claim, decreased by 7,746 claims from 41,483 claims the week ending April 30 to 33,737 claims the week ending May 7.
Numerically, that was the second-largest increase in the number of insured claims, week-over-week, of any state (California).
Here are the top job classifications for new claims:
* Wholesale Trade: 1,444
* Manufacturing: 1,145
* Unclassified or Not Available: 785
* Admin. and Support, Waste Mgmt. and Remediation Services: 457
* Accommodation and Food Services: 441
Here are the top job classifications for insured claims:
* Manufacturing: 5,621
* Construction: 4,136
* Management of Companies and Enterprises: 3,778
* Admin. and Support, Waste Mgmt. and Remediation Services: 3,418
* Wholesale Trade: 2,608
Nationally, 218,000 Americans filed first-time jobless claims last week, an increase from 197,000 the prior week. The 4-week moving average is 199,500, an increase from 191,250 the prior week.
The number of Americans that filed continuing claims for unemployment totaled 1,317,000 the week ending May 7, a decrease of 25,000 compared to the week ending April 30. This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since Dec. 27, 1969, when it was 1,304,000.
The 4-week moving average is 1,362,250, a decrease of 22,500 from the week of April 30. This is the lowest level for this average since Jan. 24, 1970 when it was 1,361,000.
For Michigan, April was the 12th consecutive month of job growth and the 10th consecutive month of unemployment rate declines in the state.
According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB), Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percent during April to 4.3 percent. That's the lowest seasonally adjusted jobless rate since March 2020 (3.8 percent).
In April, the state saw a total civilian labor force gain of 14,000 to 4,833,000 as statewide employment increased by 19,000 to 4,624,000, while total Michigan unemployment decreased by 5,000 to 209,000.
The total number of seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll jobs decreased by 2,000 to 4,326,000. This follows 11 consecutive months of nonfarm job advances.
"Two years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the state, Michigan's labor market has shown significant growth," said Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. "The statewide jobless rate fell by over 18 percentage points, while payroll employment advanced by over 925,000 since April 2020."
The U.S. jobless rate was unchanged over the month at 3.6 percent. Michigan's April unemployment rate was 0.7 percentage points larger than the national rate. The U.S. jobless rate fell by 2.4 percentage points over the year, while the statewide rate decreased by 1.9 percentage points during the same period.
Fourth quarter 2021 county-level employment and wage data being released May 25.
A copy of the DTMB's May labor market newsletter can be found here: milmi.org/_docs/publications/News/LMN/LMN_0522.pdf.
Labor Force Trends and Highlights
* Michigan's workforce edged up by 0.3 percent over the month. In contrast, the national labor force declined by 0.2 percent since March 2022.
* During the first four months of 2022, total unemployment in the state declined by 36,000, or 14.7 percent.The statewide over-the-month unemployment decrease of 2.3 percent exceeded the national unemployment reduction of 0.2 percent.
* Michigan's employment total advanced by 3.6 percent over the year, while the U.S. employment total rose by 4.5 percent since April 2021.
* Michigan's jobless rate fell notably since the height of the pandemic in April 2020, dropping by 18.4 percent over the past two years.
* The April 2022 statewide unemployment rate of 4.3 percent remained 0.5 percent above the February 2020 pre-pandemic rate of 3.8 percent.
Detroit Metro Area Jobless Rate Recedes Over Month
The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percent to 4.6 percent during April. The number of employed in the Detroit MSA edged up by 5,000, while total unemployment fell by 2,000, resulting in a minor workforce gain of 3,000 since March 2022.
Over the year, the Detroit MSA jobless rate was reduced by 2.1 percent. Employment rose by 85,000 and unemployment declined by 42,000 since April 2021. The Detroit MSA's jobless rate fell by 19 percent since the height of the pandemic in April 2020.
Industry Employment Trends and Highlights
* Manufacturing declined by 1,300, led by layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing (-2,700).
* Statewide total nonfarm jobs advanced by 172,000, or 4.1 percent, over the year.
* The largest over-the-year numerical job gains occurred in the state's leisure and hospitality sector (+50,000), manufacturing sector (+33,000), and professional and business services sector (+30,000).
* Total payroll employment surged by 926,000, or 27.2 percent, since the height of the pandemic in April 2020. However, payroll employment in April 2022 remained 127,000, or 2.9 percent, below the February 2020 pre-pandemic level.
(c)2022 Morning Sun, Mount Pleasant, Mich. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
