LANSING, MI-- The seasonal unemployment rate in the U.P. rose by nearly a full percentage point from December to January, from 9.4 to 10.3 percent.
Mackinac County posted the highest jobless rate in Michigan at 23.1 percent, while Menominee County had the lowest in the U.P. with 7.2 percent.
Since January of last year the Upper Peninsula unemployment rate edged down by 0.6 of a percentage point. The largest rate reductions over the year were reported in Alger and Baraga counties, which saw a decrease in joblessness of 1.6 and
1.3 percentage points, respectively.
Officials say unemployment rate hikes in January are due to typical seasonal job cuts in construction and retail.
