Michigan's unemployment rate hit a record 17 percent in...

DETROIT -- Michigan's unemployment rate hit a record 17 percent in March with nearly three-quarters of a million people out of work, the Michigan Employment Security Commission reported Friday.

MESC Director S. Martin Taylor said 725,000 people were unemployed last month, an increase of 41,000 from February when the jobless rate was 16.1 percent. In March 1981, Michigan's unemployment rate was 13.1 percent with 533,000 out of work.

Unemployment rose during the month as 11,000 job seekers entered the labor force trying unsuccessfully to find work, Taylor said. In addition, he said there were job losses in the non-manufacturing sector, such as retail trade.