The unemployment rate in Wayne County was shockingly high, one of the highest unemployment rates in the entire United States at this period in time. The unemployment rate in Wayne County was at 11 percent during the month of May, which was considerably higher than many of the other metropolitan areas. The information on the unemployment rate in Wayne County was released earlier on in the week by the United States Labor Department. Earlier on in the year, the county managed to see some job growth, having gained several jobs over the past few months. With many jobs being added, the jobless rate began to decline. Even with the number of jobs being added, the unemployment rate for the county as a whole is still high. Although the unemployment rate is still high, the employment picture is much better than it was during the same month in the previous year, back in May of 2011. At that point, the unemployment rate in Wayne County was at 12.3 percent.

There are some other areas that were hit hard, just like Wayne County, but seem to be progressing at a faster pace. Some of these areas include Benton Harbor and Flint, both of which had an unemployment rate of 9.6 percent during the month of March. During the month of May, the Flint area unemployment rate declined a bit, reaching 8.9 percent. The unemployment rate for Benton Harbor was at 8.6 percent during the month of May. During every month, the government conducts a survey of hundreds and thousands of different businesses as a way of finding out employment data and statistics. The estimates that are made for the unemployment numbers could actually end up being higher or lower than first estimated once they are adjusted.

While the unemployment rate in Wayne County is still high, there has been some good news for the region, as it saw an increase in the number of people who were, in fact, employed. Several jobs were added within the span of a year, from May of 2011 until May of 2012, totaling to an increase of about 3.2 percent. The improvements that are being made are helping the residents of the region to feel more confident about the economy and what they should expect in the future. The state of Michigan has been struggling for over a decade but many believe that the economy within the state is going to improve. During May of 2008, when the recession was at its worst, Wayne County lost about 19 percent of the jobs available. At that point, Wayne County had a total of 871,000 jobs. Even with the higher unemployment rate for the county, it seems as though the pieces are being put back together, especially since there are 703,600 jobs available within the county.