Michigan's unemployment rate steady at 8.4 percent

Michigan's unemployment rate holds steady at 8.4 percent in May as both jobs, work force grow

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The state says Michigan's seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained steady at 8.4 percent in the latest month as the size of the workforce and the number of people employed both grew.

The Department of Technology, Management & Budget said Wednesday that May's unemployment rate was unchanged from April. The rate has dropped 0.8 percentage points from May 2012's 9.2 percent.

Michigan's jobless rate remains higher than the nation's May rate of 7.6 percent, which was up from 7.5 percent in April.

The department says total Michigan employment rose 24,000 in May to 4.303 million, while the labor force rose by 28,000 to 4.698 million. The state says 395,000 people were unemployed and seeking work in May.