The job market in Berrien County has been a little sluggish, according to the latest business outlook report from the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. It says a decline in professional and business services employment pushed the employment rate down about 0.2% in the second quarter. The report anticipates flat job conditions in the third quarter based on mixed economic indicators in the second. Manufacturing led the way in adding new jobs in the county during the quarter, while services shed jobs and government employment was flat. The Upjohn Institute notes the region lost 7,400 jobs between 2007 and 2013, most of which were during the Great Recession. The area’s employment rate is still slightly below where it was before the recession started.
