Michigan Remains Near the Bottom for Unemployment

Last week, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the June unemployment figures, and, unsurprisingly, Michigan remains near the bottom of the pack. While the state saw a small dip in unemployment, moving from 5.1% to 5.0%, it is still much higher than the national average of 4.2%.

Sadly, Michigan seems to be following the same trend as other Democrat-run states, with eight of the bottom ten states led by Democrat governors. Michigan, once again, is in the same company as California, New York, and Washington. These new numbers come out as Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been criticized nationally for her economic development strategy, or lack thereof. James Hohman of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy wrote in The Wall Street Journal last month:

The true incentives for job creation are sound policies that encourage investment and hiring. Ms. Whitmer hasn’t helped by repealing the state’s “right-to-work” law that let workers choose if they want to join a union. She also killed an income-tax cut in 2023. Michigan’s corporate tax rate is 6%, higher than the rate in nearly half the states.

“Even as she is preparing to leave office, Gretchen Whitmer is continuing her failed economic policies that have left Michiganders worse off,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “The governor has been trying for almost eight years to use a Democrat playbook to create jobs, and for eight years she has been unsuccessful.”