Gogebic, Ontonagon counties hit near 30-year low unemployment

Unemployment numbers reached nearly 30-year low levels in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties in September, according to the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market information.

In Gogebic County, the September jobless rate was 4 percent, down from 4.4 percent in August. One year ago, the September rate was 5.4 percent.

According to the bureau’s statistics, the size of the civilian labor force in the county fell from 6,075 in August to 6,025 in September.

Total employment in Gogebic County was also down. Twenty-five fewer people were employed in September and total unemployment is down by those same 25.

State officials indicated the level of unemployment in the U.P. is the lowest since “at least 1990.”

Ontonagon County’s September employment statistics are a mirror image of August. The jobless rate decreased from 6.2 percent in August to 5.5 percent in September. With 2,100 in the workforce, 1,975 were employed.

A year ago, the Ontonagon rate was 7.3 percent.

The Ontonagon unemployment rate of 5.5 percent was still the highest in the Upper Peninsula in September.

The Baraga County jobless rate decreased to 4.7 percent in September from 6.1 percent in August. One year ago, the rate was 6.1 percent.

Houghton County recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the western U.P in September at 3.7 percent, down from 4.3 percent in August and 5 percent a year ago.

The smallest county, Keweenaw, had 4.5 percent unemployment in September, down from 4.9 percent in August.

—Jan Tucker