Sluggish Job Growth In Berrien County In First Quarter

The W E Upjohn Institute for Employment Research has released its latest economic outlook report for West Michigan. It says that the year got off to a pretty good start in the region as a whole, as employment in this side of the state grew by zero point five percent during the first quarter. Looking more closely at the Benton Harbor and Niles market, the Upjohn Institute finds that the picture hasn't been quite as good, though. It says that employment fell by point three percent, even though unemployment also went down to nine point one percent. That could be because people have given up searching for work, or found something elsewhere, like South Bend. Local economic indicators were mixed during the quarter, as well, which suggests conditions may remain sluggish during the next few months. Additionally, the report says that employment in the Benton Harbor Niles market went down in all sectors, although it predicts that things will stabilize in the coming months.