Michigan jobless rate up 0.2 points to 9 percent

LANSING (AP) -- Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has risen two-tenths of a percentage point to 9 percent - the third straight month the jobless rate is up. The state on Wednesday announced the labor force was little changed in August, with total employment dropping by 7,000 and the number of unemployed rising by 7,000. The rate is three-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year ago, according to a report from the Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Michigan's jobless rate remains higher than the country's August rate of 7.3 percent. Through the first eight months of 2013, the number of unemployed in Michigan has averaged 407,000. Though total employment was relatively strong in the first half of the year, it edged downward over the last two months. Published: Fri, Sep 20, 2013