Over the month of April, Michigan’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to 22.7 percent, a monthly jump of 18.4 percentage points, according to data released by state officials on Wednesday.

Employment in Michigan dropped by 1,130,000, while the number of unemployed grew by 839,000, resulting in a labor force drop of 291,000 over the month.

According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, the large monthly unemployment rate reflected a continuing and deepening concern of the pandemic’s impact on the workforce, as most COVID-19-related layoffs began in the second half of March and continued through April.

The national unemployment rate grew significantly by 10.3 percentage points in April to 14.7 percent. Michigan’s rate was 8.0 percentage points above the U.S. rate. Over the year, the national jobless rate advanced by 11.1 percentage points, while the state rate climbed by 18.4 percentage points.