The Unemployment Impacts of the Population Turnaround in Northern Lower Michigan.

We examine the effects of the population turnaround on unemployment rates in a nine-county region in northern lower Michigan. Data from census reports and a mailed questionnaire were used to test the following competing hypotheses about unemployment impacts: (1) labor-market infusion (or positive employment impacts), (2) labor-market overload (or negative impact on unemployment and increased competition for jobs), and (3) a mixed model in which the balance of positive and negative impacts differs depending on occupational status. Our major finding is that blue-collar persons (both newcomers and long-term residents) experienced much higher unemployment rates than white-collar persons. In other words, for white-collar strata, labor-market infusion is supported; for blue-collar strata, labor-market overload is supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]