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Michigan's November unemployment fell to the lowest it's been since April 2006.

(File photo | Mlive Media Group)

LANSING, MI -- Michigan's unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent in November, the lowest rate the state has seen since April 2006.

That's according to the Michigan Department of Technology Management and Budget (DTMB), which released the numbers today.

The number represents a .4 percentage point drop from October's unemployment rate of 7.1 percent. Total employment rose by 13,000 over the month while the number of unemployed declined by 16,000, according to the DTMB. Total employment was up in November.

The state's year-to-date average unemployment rate through November stands at 7.4 percent, which was below its 2013 annual average rate of 8.8 percent.

Gov. Rick Snyder welcomed the news.

"It's exciting to see the continued improvement in our unemployment rate -- the lowest in more than eight years -- because it shows the foundation we've built for economic success is strong and there are more and better jobs for MIchiganders. More than 303,000 private sector jobs have been created since December 2010, showing how far we have come as a state. But it also should inspire us to reach even higher and go even further," Snyder said.

He said that Michigan's foundation was now "rock-solid," but more could be done. Specifically he mentioned training both students and adults for in-demand skills.

Emily Lawler is a Capitol/Lansing business reporter for MLive. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler.