Pasadena, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/26/2010 -- Michigan, the state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country at 13.2 percent saw uneven job increases across the state in June.

Data from the state’s Labor Department shows that there was an increase in unemployment in nine regions and a decline in seven regions. Ann Arbor recorded the lowest unemployment rate while northeast Lower Peninsula had the highest jobless rate at 14.2 percent. But the state, till recently in the news for the close-down of its auto plants, is making progress in the auto jobs sector too.

A study released by the Anderson Economic Group showed that almost two-thirds of the manufacturing jobs in the state were in advanced manufacturing, which is defined as being those jobs which involve research and design of new products and processes. Ford’s new 2011 Ford Explorer model will also add around 500 auto jobs to the state. While, Chrysler has indicated that demand for its new Jeep Grand Cherokee could mean a third shift at its Detroit plant, with a second shift already running since last week.

Adding to the overall good news, Hound, a job search engine, reported that there were over 9,000 jobs in the state. Hound CEO A. Harrison Barnes says. “The best places are Lansing and Kalamazoo. There are jobs in other places too, needing everybody from managers to information technology specialists.”