Washtenaw County's unemployment rate rose slightly in May

By Lizzy Alfs Business Reporter

Posted on Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 3:33 p.m.

Washtenaw County’s unemployment rate increased to 5.5 percent in May, up from 5 percent in April, according to statistics released this week by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

The reason: Seasonal job seekers entered the labor force and government education jobs fell.

The data, which is not seasonally adjusted, shows that the Ann Arbor area’s labor force increased by .3 percent as job seekers entered the market.

At the same time, Washtenaw County lost 3,100 jobs in May in the government sector, due largely to seasonal cuts.

Some industries that added jobs in May: leisure and hospitality added 700; retail trade jobs expanded by 400, pushing trade; transportation and utilities added 700; construction grew by 300.

Annually, Washtenaw County’s jobless rates have declined each consecutive year since 2009. The 5.5 percent unemployment rate in May also is down .6 percent from May 2011.

Washtenaw's unemployment rate in May was the lowest among Michigan's 83 counties. The next lowest was Clinton County at 5.8 percent. Oakland County's rate was 8.6 percent and Wayne County's was 11 percent.

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Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.