April 24, 2013
04/25/13 Indiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged in March at 8.7 percent, halting a recent upward trend. The Hoosier State which has more manufacturing jobs as a part of our private sector than any other state in the U.S. (19.7 percent of Indiana is private sector) experienced another month of increase in manufacturing jobs, production hours and durable goods production employment. All of which may point to sustained growth and future expansion potential.
Indiana witnessed the first decline in jobs in more than a year, as the state shed approximately 11,000 private sector jobs over the past month. The bulk of the loss was experienced in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector, which is possible evidence of some uncertainty in the market and the recent unseasonable weather.
Marshall County continues to see a decline in the unemployment numbers. In January the county was at 10.4. In February the number dropped to 9.7 and in March the unemployment went down again to 9.5. Looking at the counties surrounding Marshall County, LaPorte County went from 12.3 to 11.6. Saint Joseph dropped a tenth of a point from 10.6 to 10.5 while Fulton County went down three-tenths of a point to 10.0. Elkhart County continues to drop in the unemployment rate from 9.8 in February to 9.4 in March. Kosciusko County is now ranked 78th out of the 92 counties with a rate of 7.6 a drop of a tenth of a point. Pulaski County also had a reduction from 8.1 to 7.6. Vermillion County tops the list of 92 counties with an unemployment rate of 12.9 and Dubois County is at the bottom with the rate of 6.3.
“March’s job numbers are evidence of some certainty in the market and confirm there is a good deal more work to do, we cannot overstate Indiana’s prominence and growing strength in manufacturing,” said Scott B. Sanders, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development . “The Hoosier State has more manufacturing jobs as a percentage of our private sector than any other state in the U.S. and we continue to experience real, tangible proof of sustained growth and propensity for expansion potential.”
Sanders also noted Indiana still outpaces the national average (7.5 percent versus 5.2 percent) for private sector job growth since July 2009, the low point of employment in Indiana, and that initial claims for unemployment remain below 2005 levels.