The Trend: Branch County continues to show some small growth, with an increase of 50 jobs from Q3 2020 to Q4 2020. Between March and April, the unemployment rate decreased, while the labor force participation rate did not change and the employment-to-population ratio increased. This indicates that individuals are likely finding employment. Job postings were higher in April than in March, with more postings in Retail Trade, Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Accommodation and Food Services, and Transportation and Warehousing.

The Trend: Calhoun County continues to show strong growth, gaining more than 100 jobs from Q3 2020 to Q4 2020. Between March and April, the unemployment rate, employment-to-population ratio, and labor force participation rate all decreased. This is likely a sign that individuals are discouraged from finding work and are leaving the labor force.

The Trend: Kalamazoo County continues to rebound, having gained more than 2,000 jobs from Q3 2020 to Q4 2020. From March to April, the unemployment rate, employment-to-population ratio, and labor force participation rate all decreased. This is likely a sign that individuals are discouraged from finding work and are leaving the labor force.

The Trend: St. Joseph County lost more than 150 jobs from Q3 2020 to Q4 2020. Between March and April, the unemployment rate, employment-to-population ratio, and labor force participation rate all decreased. This is likely a sign that individuals are discouraged from finding work and are leaving the labor force. Even so, there are positive indications that there may now be more job opportunities available: job postings were higher in April than in March, with slightly more postings in Retail Trade, Accommodation and Food Services, and Transportation and Warehousing.

The Trend: The Michigan Works! Southwest Region continues to recover, gaining more than 14,000 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Between February and March 2021, the unemployment rate remained the same, while the labor force participation rate and the employment-to-population ratio both increased. This may be a positive sign, indicating that individuals are quickly finding work. Job postings were higher in March than in February as there were slightly more postings in Health Care and Social Assistance and Manufacturing.

The Trend: Branch County continues to show some growth, with an increase of more than 800 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Between February and March 2021, both the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate increased, suggesting growth in the total labor force. An increase in the employment-to-population ratio from February to March suggests that job seekers are likely finding work. Job postings were lower in March than in February as there were slightly fewer postings in Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Manufacturing.

The Trend: Calhoun County continues to show strong growth, gaining more than 2,000 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Between February and March 2021, the unemployment rate decreased, while the employment-to-population ratio and the labor force participation rate increased. This is likely a positive sign that individuals are finding employment. Job postings were higher in March than in February as there were more postings in Manufacturing and Accommodation and Food Services.

The Trend: Kalamazoo County continues to rebound, gaining more than 7,700 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. However, between February and March 2021, there was functionally no change within the labor force in the county. Exactly why is difficult to determine, as there may be several things causing this failure to move the needle. One notable issue has been that employers reportedly are having difficulty in finding workers, but the cause for these reported labor shortages remains unclear.

The Trend: St. Joseph County continues to rebound, gaining more than 2,000 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Between February and March 2021, the unemployment rate decreased, while the employment-to-population ratio and the labor force participation rate increased. This is likely a positive sign that individuals are finding employment. Job postings were higher in March than in February, as there were slightly more postings in Manufacturing and Health Care and Social Assistance.

The Trend: The Michigan Works! Southwest Region continues to recover, having gained more than 14,000 jobs from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Between January 2021 and February 2021, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.9 percentage points. However, this may not be a positive sign, as the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rate remained the same from January 2021 to February 2021. Job postings were lower in February 2021 than in January 2021, with slightly fewer postings in Health Care and Social Assistance and in Manufacturing.