Employment Up in West Michigan; Down in Calhoun County
West Michigan saw modest job growth in most areas, but the Battle Creek area dropped a half-percent. That’s according to the W.E. Upjohn Institute, which measured five metro areas in the final three months of 2015.
Overall, the region saw employment increase .6 percent, dropping unemployment two-tenths to 3.8%.
Total employment in Calhoun County fell by 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015. A drop in Government employment accounted for nearly half of the drop.
Employment in the Kalamazoo-Portage and Muskeegon areas were up by a full percent, whil the Niles-Benton Harbor area was up 1.6 percent. Grand Rapids grew jobs by a half-percent.