Muskegon County Gained 900 jobs in 2011 - Unemployment Down to 8.4% from 11.5% Since Last Year

Muskegon County's joblessness numbers were down to 8.4% from 11.5% a year ago...and the lowest since May of 2008. So...huzzah! Unemployment is down. And SOME of the drop is due to GOOD reasons, rather than the "people are leaving the workforce" sort of way.

Past drops in the unemployment rate were caused by a reduction in the job market as people either left the community or were so discouraged that they stopped looking for a job, labor economists suggested.

November's continued decline in the unemployment rate was coupled with an increase in employment of 900 jobs to 74,600. Likewise, the number of unemployed in Muskegon County in November dropped 500 to 6,800.

So...there's that.

Gonna be a long trek back up the hill, though...

But since November 2006, Muskegon County has still lost 10,400 jobs – 12.2 percent of its work force.

Anyway...good news!