The Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth’s August report released Wednesday brought more negative news for the state’s job environment. Michigan’s unemployment rate increased from 7 to 7.4 percent, the state’s highest monthly rate in 14 years.

For the sixth time in eight months, Michigan’s labor force declined, with 16,000 of the state’s pool of workers leaving the state in August. Since January, 80,000, or 1.6 percent, of Michigan’s labor force has left the state.

College graduates in Michigan may have a difficult time finding work in the state, said Phil Gardner, director of MSU’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.

“The college-educated workforce will be impacted simply because these losses are so widespread,” he said. “Kids that want to stay in the state are going to have to work hard and start looking now.”

Almonte, who was president of the MSU Student Engineering Council for more than a year, said a lack of effort was not to blame for her inability to find a job in Michigan.

“Some of my friends had better GPAs than I did, but they didn’t go to workshops and career fairs, or network with professionals or get internships,” Almonte said.

Gardner said Michigan’s looming budget crisis may impact available jobs in specific sectors like education, with school districts “watching every penny” and unsure of how much funding they’ll receive from the state.

Tracy Szutkowski, an education and French senior, said she is worried about staying in the state for her career.

“In an ideal world, I would like to stay in Michigan,” said Szutkowski, MSU chapter president of the Student Michigan Education Association. “But it’s not looking like there are going to be a lot of jobs for graduates.”

Szutkowski said she’d like to stay close to her family, but may have to settle on job opportunities as distant as Western Europe.

“All my family live in Michigan, and I feel like it would be really hard to pick up and move to another state away from them,” she said.