Michigan's unemployment: 11.6%

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Michigan's unemployment rate shot up to 11.6 percent for the month of January, up 1.4% from December. Total employment dropped by 89,000 over the month while unemployment jumped by 69,000.

“In January, job reductions in manufacturing were substantial,” said Rick Waclawek, director of DELEG’s Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “A good portion of these job cuts were due to temporary layoffs. High inventories led to the extension of December holiday plant shutdowns into the month of January.”

A deeper look at the numbers shows since January 2008, unemployment in Michigan increased by 202,000 or 55.6%. Unemployment nationally rose by 53.8% in the same period.

The Detroit-Warren-Livonia Metropolitan Statistical Area’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January rose by 2% to 11.9 percent. This was the highest jobless rate for the metropolitan area since April 1984. The area’s total employment level fell over the month by 63,000 and unemployment rose by 39,000 as the labor force declined by 25,000. Numbers for the rest of the state won't come out until March 19.