Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.0 percent for June and remains lower than the national rate of 4.4 percent. The unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force decreased by 2,427 over the previous month with a 4,088 increase in employment and a 6,515 decrease in unemployment. Indiana’s total labor force continues to stand at more than 3.33 million, and the state’s 64.4 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.8 percent.
After maintaining an unemployment rate of 2.3 in April and May, Marshall County saw a slight increase to the unemployment number with a June rate of 2.6 ranking us 78th of the 92 counties. Taking a quick look back, Marshall County had an unemployment rate of 3.2 in March and 4.1 in February.
Taking a look at counties surrounding Marshall you will find Starke County at 20t on the list of counties with a rate of 3.5 a slight increase from the 3.3 rate in May.
Fulton County also saw a slight increase in the number of unemployed during June with a rate of 2.9 up fro, the 2.7 in May.
While Pulaski County had an April rate of 2.9 their May rate dropped to 2.7 but the June rate went back up to 2.9 ranking them 59th in the list of counties.
St. Joseph County saw a slight up-tick in unemployment for June with a 3.1 rate ranking them 43rd. Their March rate was 3.9, April 2.7 and May 2.8.
Kosciusko County remains near the bottom of the list of 92 counties with an unemployment rate of 2.4 in May. Elkhart County has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.3 in the state. While they are at the bottom on the list, their rate did see a slight increase from the 2.1 rate in May.
“We are pleased to see Indiana’s unemployment rate go lower this past month and stay at its lowest levels since the mid-1990s. We believe this is an indication of the state’s ongoing strong economy,” said Steven J. Braun, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD). “We at the Department of Workforce Development remain focused on assisting Hoosiers who are unemployed or underemployed. I encourage them to visit their local WorkOne Career Centers and utilize the free resources and job assistance programs available to them.”
The decreasing unemployment rate is a direct correlation to the state’s constricting labor market, according to Braun. DWD’s long-term challenge is developing the workforce to meet the projected employer demand of filling more than one million jobs over the next 10 years, and Braun believes the agency is well-positioned to do so.
