Indiana’s unemployment rate in April stands at 3.0%, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. By comparison, the national unemployment rate for April stands at 3.4%.

In addition, Indiana’s labor force participation rate increased to 63.6% for April, remaining above the national rate of 62.6%. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3,423,506 – an increase of 7,080 from the previous month.

Marshall County sets in the 23rd position of the 92 counties in Indiana with an unemployment rate of 2.8%.  In this report, the higher a county’s position the better, meaning a lower unemployment rate.  The March unemployment rate for Marshall County was 3.6% so we are nearly a full percent better with the April report.  Looking back over this year, in January the county was at 3.9%, and in February 3.7%.   

Looking back at the April unemployment rates over the last few years, Marshall County was at 1.6% in 2022 and 3.0% in 2021.  The COVID pandemic jumped the 2020 unemployment rate to 18.7%.  Prior to the pandemic, Marshall County had an overall unemployment rate of 2.8% in 2019 and 2.7 in 2018. 

Looking at the counties surrounding Marshall County you find Starke County is 5th on the list of counties with an unemployment rate of 3.3%, a major improvement from the March rate of 4.8%.  LaPorte County is 7th with a rate of 3.2% which is about half a percentage better than their March rate of 4.6%. St. Joseph County moved up to 14th on the list of counties with a rate of 3.0%.  In March their rate was 4.1%.  Elkhart County was 30th on the list of counties with a rate of 3.7% in March. In April they moved up to 21st with an unemployment rate of 2.8%. 

Fulton County saw a huge improvement in April with a 2.6% unemployment rate ranking them 36th.  In March they were ranked 18th with an unemployment rate of 4.0%.  Kosciusko County sets at 43rd for April with a rate of 2.5%.  Last month they were at 3.2%. Pulaski County is the best county around us with an unemployment rate of 2.3% ranking them 64th.  In March they were 43rd with a rate of 3.5%.   

Howard County has the distinction of being in first place ranking for April with an unemployment rate of 4.4% and Gibson County remains as the state’s county with the lowest unemployment rate.  They are at the bottom of the list for the third month in a row with a rate of 1.9% for April.   

Private sector employment in Indiana increased by 14,200 jobs over the last month, translating to a gain of 76,500 jobs from this time last year. Indiana’s April private employment stands at 2,845,100. This is a new private employment peak for the state. Industries that experienced job increases in April included:

·       Private Educational and Health Services (+4,100);

·       Leisure and Hospitality (+3,800);

·       Professional and Business Services (+3,500);

·       Financial Activities (+1,500);

·       Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+1,300); and

·       Manufacturing (+300).

As of May 17, 2023, there were 126,185 open job postings throughout the state. In April, 14,211 unemployment insurance claims were filed in Indiana.

Individuals looking for work, training or career information are encouraged to visit in.gov/dwd/job-seekers.