Michigan jobless rate up 0.1 points to 8.8 percent

LANSING (AP) -- Michigan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate has risen 0.1 percentage points to 8.8 percent in the latest month as the size of the workforce grew and the number of people employed remained flat, the state announced Wednesday. June's unemployment rate of 8.7 percent was up 0.3 points from May. About 418,000 people remain unemployed in Michigan. The rate has dropped 0.5 percentage points from July 2012's 9.3 percent, according to the report from the Department of Technology, Management & Budget. "Labor market conditions were relatively flat in July in Michigan," Michael Williams, acting head of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said in a statement. "So far in 2013, however, the state has recorded steady job gains combined with an expanding workforce. These workforce gains have kept the state unemployment rate stable." Michigan's jobless rate remains higher than the nation's July rate of 7.4 percent, which fell from 7.6 percent in June. Michigan's civilian labor force rose by 9,400 to 4.728 million in July, while the number of those working held steady at 4.31 million, the department said. ---------------- Online: Michigan jobs report: http://1.usa.gov/14yHw8E. Published: Fri, Aug 16, 2013