(LANSING) - Unemployment numbers went down during the month of September around Southwest Michigan.
According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, St. Joseph County saw their unemployment drop from 5.4% in August to 4.4% in September.
The biggest decrease in the area was in Hillsdale County, going from 5.4% in August to 4.3% in September.
Cass County went down from 5.2% to 4.3% while Branch County saw their unemployment drop from 4.7% to 3.9%.
Wayne Rourke, Labor Market Information Director of the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, says Michigan's regional labor markets demonstrated typical unemployment rate declines during September. He says seasonal hiring for the start of the school semester contributed to regional payroll job gains over the month.