NEW DATA SHOWS DETROIT REGION LEADS NATION IN UNEMPLOYMENT

Category: Chronicle Archives Published on Monday, 03 August 2009 20:00 Written by Michigan Chronicle

The Detroit region continues to lead the country’s metropolitan areas in unemployment with a rate of 17.1 percent, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn area reported a rate of 18.5 percent, the Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills area reported a rate of 16.2 percent and Michigan’s overall unemployment rate recently rose to 15.2 percent.

Senate Democrats have been pushing to pass the unemployment modernization legislation that would secure $138.9 million from federal funds to help Michigan’s displaced
workers.

The House passed their two-bill unemployment modernization package months ago, but the bills have been ignored in the Senate Committee
on Commerce and Tourism since.

House Bill 4785 would allow individuals enrolled in a state-approved job training program to receive unemployment insurance benefits for an extra 26 weeks.

House Bill 4786 would allow individuals working between 16 and 40 hours per week to become eligible for unemployment insurance benefits beginning after Jan. 1, 2011.