DETROIT – On Thursday, Mayor Mike Duggan was touting something that hasn’t been seen in Detroit in 22 years.
For the first time since 2000, the unemployment rate has dipped below the 7% mark. That’s a massive drop from the height of the pandemic when it spiked to 38%.
“This is literally the first time in my lifetime every Detroiter who wants a job can get one today,” said Duggan. “I grew up here, and I watched businesses and jobs leave this city for 60 years. So what’s happened in the last 10 years with the factories coming back and Detroiters getting those jobs, it just feels really good.”
At 6.4%, it’s the lowest since December 2000. But there’s a chance that number can get much lower because of multiple free city programs.
Detroit at Work City Strategy Officer Dana Williams says as a whole, they’ll help even more city residents become employed.
“By working with our network of nearly 3,000 employees, we place about 5,000 Detroiters into regular employment and 8,000 young people through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program into summer employment on an annual basis,” Duggan said.
Sashe Langford, once unemployed, is now working because of her involvement in one of those programs. She says it’s the best thing that ever happened to her.
“Not only did they help me make those barriers, but they also helped me with interviewing and getting clothes for interviews,” said Langford. “Forever, I’ll be grateful for that.”
The unemployment rate was 18% when Duggan took office. During the pandemic, that number grew to 38%. The shift is a significant move in the right direction.
“The people of this city want to work,” Duggan said. “They went back to work, and we got 8,000 more jobs to fill. We’re going to try to create opportunities in the city for everyone who wants to work.”
There are more than 8,400 jobs available today with the Detroit at Work program. If you want one, all you have to do is head over to https://Detroitatwork.com or call 313-962-WORK (9675).