July jobless rates went up across Southwest Michigan.

The latest figures released by the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives shows that St. Joseph County had the largest growth in the area, going from 4.5 percent in June to 6.6 percent in July. One year ago the jobless rate in the County was 5.4 percent.

Branch County saw an increase from 4.3 percent to 5.1 percent. Cass County went from 5 percent to 5.5 percent while Hillsdale County jumped from 4.5 percent to
5.2 percent.

Statewide, the jobless rate went from 4.4 percent to 5.1 percent. That's an
increase of three-tenths of a percent from July 2018. Economic Specialist Leonidas Murembya (mer-em-BEE-ah) says summer layoffs in K-12 education resulted in an increase of unemployment rates throughout the region. Jobs in Financial Activities, which include finance insurance, real estate and rentals, have been stable since 2010 and has grown statewide by 19 percent.