Indiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent in January. (Due to the yearly federal benchmarking process, December’s unemployment rate was revised upward to 4.6 percent.) The Hoosier labor force maintained a positive trend, gaining more than 20,000 individuals in January. Indiana’s labor force growth over the year now stands at more than 51,000 and 116,700 added since January 2013. In January, the Hoosier labor force participation rate again exceeds the national rate (64.2 percent vs. 62.7 percent).
Looking locally you find Marshall County with an unemployment rate of 4.5 and ranked 68th of the 92 counties. This rate is an increase of .5 from the December report. Locally you will find LaPorte County 9th on the list of counties with a rate of 7.1, immediately followed by Starke County with a rate of 6.9. Others counties in the area are Fulton County who is 21st on the list with a rate of 6.0, Pulaski County is 41st with a rate of 5.3 while St. Joseph County is 46th at 5.1. Both Kosciusko and Elkhart counties are better than Marshall County. Kosciusko is 81st on the list with at rate of 4.2 and Elkhart county is 88th of the 92 counties with a rate of 3.9.
Private sector employment gains in January occurred in the Leisure and Hospitality (+4,700), Financial Activities (+1,500) and Construction (+1,200) sectors. Gains were partially offset by contraction in the Professional and Business Services (-3,100), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-2,300), and Private Education & Health Services (-1,600) sectors. Indiana’s private sector grew by 43,500 jobs in 2016, and has added nearly 141,000 jobs over the past three years.
“Private sector employment in the Hoosier State has grown by nearly 141,000 over the past three years,” said Steven J. Braun, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “Additionally, Indiana continues to have an unemployment rate lower than all of our neighboring states.”
Braun also noted that claims for unemployment insurance in 2016 were at their lowest levels since 1998, and the number of unemployed Hoosiers has decreased by 43 percent over the past three years.
