Indiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate now stands at 4.4 percent, the lowest rate experienced in the Hoosier State since August of 2001. Indiana’s labor force made further gains in October and continues to be a Midwest leader, adding 90,000 individuals since January 2013. Additionally, Indiana’s labor force participation rate has remained above the national average, (63.6 percent vs. 62.4 percent in October) for eighteen consecutive months.
Marshall County’s unemployment rate took a slight step up between September and October. In September the rate was 3.5 and the October rate was 3.6 make us 71st of the state’s 92 counties.
Looking at the counties surrounding Marshall you find LaPorte at 5.3 and 8th on the list of 92 counties. Starke County remained steady for September and October with an unemployment rate of 5.0 while Saint Joseph County’s rate increase from 4.2 in September to 4.4 in October. Fulton County also saw an increase from 3.8 to 4.1 last month. Kosciusko County is 62nd on the list of counties with a rate of 3.7 while Elkhart County is 78th with an unemployment rate of 3.5.
Vermillion County tops the list with an unemployment rate of 6.4 and Dubois County is on the bottom of the list with a rate of 2.9.
Despite sizeable increases in the Manufacturing (+5,400), and Private Educational & Health (+2,900) sectors in October, total Hoosier Private sector increases were modest at 100, due to offsets in the Trade, Transportation & Utilities (-3,800), and Professional & Business Services (-1,900) sectors. Private sector employment in Indiana is now 12,800 jobs above March 2000 peak employment levels.
“The Hoosier unemployment rate is now at the lowest level since August of 2001,” said Steven J. Braun, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “Additionally, Indiana’s labor force growth since January of 2013 continues to outpace all other Midwest states.”
Braun also noted weekly claims for unemployment insurance in Indiana continue to be at their lowest levels in more than a decade.
