Michigan Has Best Job Growth Since 90s, But…

Michigan had the best job creation it has had since the boom 1990s last month. The state added 38,600 jobs in a single month, a gain of 1.0 percent. The last time the state added more than 1 percent in a single month was in August 1998 when GM workers returned to work after a month-long strike.

Here's a look at recent monthly job gains and losses:

The state Office of Labor Market Information indicates that the employment gains were because the "impact of the privatization of educational support workers caused a seasonal employment shift in the sector." That is, because schools and local governments are using employee leasing services to a greater extent, the seasonal adjustments made to this industry caused an above-average gain.

Last month's gains are not likely to be an indication of a job-growth trend. This year was a brutal year for Michigan, with the state losing 6.4 percent of its total jobs.

Beyond the bad year, the state has not had two consecutive months of job gains since 2005. So unless there was an invisible economic boon last month — which is possible considering the large amount of job creation and destruction in Michigan — it's likely that jobs will be down again when new figures are available in two weeks.

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