The latest employment data for Genesee County paints a mixed picture of the local economy, with some indicators higher and some lower than previous measurements.
The county's unemployment rate for December hit 5.6 percent, which is lower than the 6.1 percent of a year ago, but two-tenths of a percentage point higher than November.
It's also higher than the fiscal year's lowest rate of 4.8 percent in August.
The total number of unemployed in the county fell from 1,900 to 1,700, year-over-year, but the number of total employed workers in the country also fell, from 28,900 to 28,000.
The state's unemployment rate is 5.7 percent.
Wow, it probably would have
Wow, it probably would have been catastrophic without all those GCEDC created/retained jobs. (insert sarcastic tone)
Bud, What's really sad is
Bud, What's really sad is that the jobs that GCEDC had a role in creating, were to a large degree low paying and part time jobs. Many of those jobs were created in the retail sector. Unfortunately, they help create a cosmetically prettier snapshot of the employment situation in Genesee County and distort the reality that a great many people remain under employed.