Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 5.0 percent for November, and the national rate is 6.7 percent. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Locally, Marshall County dropped to 45th on the list of 92 counties with a rate of 4.2, the same rate they had in October. September’s rate was 4.7 while August was 5.3. Looking back at the last couple of years Marshall County’s unemployment rate was 3.1 in 2019, 3.4 in 2018 and 3.0 in 2017.
Looking at the counties surrounding Marshall you will find LaPorte at number 3 on the list of counties with an unemployment rate of 6.9. Last month their rate was 6.3 and in September they had a rate of 7.7. The August rate for LaPorte County was 8.8. St. Joseph County sits in 6th place with a rate of 6.1, the same rate they had in October.
Starke County moved up to 7th on the list of counties with a rate of 5.9 a half point higher than their October rate of 5.4. They had a rate of 6.1 in September and a 6.7 in August.
Continuing to look at the counties that surround Marshall you find Elkhart County at 32nd on the list of counties with a rate of 4.4 a tad bit higher than their October rate of 4.2. In September their rate was 5.3. and August was 6.1. Fulton County is listed at 28th with a rate of 4.5. Last month they were 38th with a rate of 4.2 in September they had a rate of 5.1. and in August 5.7.
Rounding out the list is Kosciusko County with a rate of 4.3 a slight bit higher than their October rate of 4.0. In September they had a rate or 4.9 and their August rate was 5.4. Pulaski County has a rate of 4.0 just up from their October rate of 3.9.
In August they were at 5.4 and 4.8 in September.
Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 40,274 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 17,345 unemployed residents and a decrease of 22,929 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.33 million, and the state’s 62.9 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 61.5 percent.
Private sector employment has decreased by 87,600 over the year and decreased by 200 over the previous month. The monthly decrease is primarily due to losses in the Professional and Business Services (-3,800) and the Leisure and Hospitality (-3,000) sectors. Losses were offset by gains in the Construction (3,700) and the Other (2,300), which includes Mining and Logging, IT and Other Services, sectors. Total private employment stands at 2,643,400, which is 105,900 below the January 2019 peak.
