When it comes to rising unemployment, there’s few places in the country where it’s happening faster than in Michigan.
In a study of “States Where Unemployment Claims Are Increasing the Most,” the personal finance website WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on changes in unemployment claims for several key benchmark weeks.
Researchers also considered the number of claims per 100,000 people in the labor force.
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The results landed Michigan at number four among states with the biggest increases in unemployment claims from the week of Oct. 21 to the week of Oct. 28, with only North Dakota, Massachusetts, and Kansas faring worse.
Michigan’s 43.35% jump was by far the worst in the Great Lakes region. It was more than double the increase in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and well ahead of Ohio. New York and Indiana both posted declining claims.
Perhaps even more concerning, the Great Lakes State ranked second among all states for new unemployment claims per 100,000 people in the labor force, just behind Alaska.
Through Oct. 28, Michigan had 233 unemployment claims per 100,000, while Alaska was at 281. North Dakota and California are the only other two states with rates above 200, while in half of states that figure was in double digits.
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Other data in the WalletHub report looked at the change in unemployment claims from last week compared to the same week in 2023, which showed Michigan was up 29.9%, a figure that’s higher than all states but four and the District of Columbia.
It was the same deal with year-to-date claims in 2024 compared to the same time in 2023, with Michigan claims up 23.61%, which is significantly higher than all states except North Dakota, Massachusetts, and Iowa.
Ironically, the data for the week of Oct. 28 came at the same time Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to X to boast about her efforts “helping more people find good-paying work and building a brighter future for Michigan.”
In a post that included a gif of the Seinfeld cast dancing in the streets, Whitmer claimed “Michigan’s economy is strong, and we’re creating more opportunities for Michiganders to find work,” alleging “our state added 27,000 new jobs over the past year.”
Michigan’s economy is strong, and we’re creating more opportunities for Michiganders to find work – our state added 27,000 new jobs over the past year. Together, we’re helping more people find good-paying work and building a brighter future for Michigan. pic.twitter.com/3EUkPv17cf
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) October 30, 2024
The Midwesterner last week debunked Whitmer’s misleading jobs claims with actual Bureau of Labor Statistics data that shows about 16,000 fewer employed in the state in September versus January of this year.
Data from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget also shows 27,000 more Michiganders are unemployed now than when the year began.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has also pointed to BLS data that shows Michigan job numbers have been on a downward trajectory since May, losing a net 31,909 through September as 33 states experienced employment increases.
Even if Michigan did gain 27,000 jobs as Whitmer claims, that would equate to the fifth weakest job growth rate among states, Michigan Capitol Confidential reports.
“Michigan is losing out on the gains happening elsewhere in the country, and the state is falling behind,” said James Hohman, fiscal policy director for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “The trends from the (BLS) household survey now show that employment in Michigan is heading down.”