Indiana’s jobless rate dropped in August as more people returned to work across numerous industries after weeks off from pandemic fueled shutdowns and scaled back operations.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported the state’s jobless rate for August was 6.5%, down from 8% in July, but still higher than 3.4% when compared to August 2019. The national jobless rate for August was 8.5%, down from 10.5% in July.

Indiana’s labor force in August totaled 3,364,666, with 3,147,142 employed and 217,524 out of work.

Jobless rates also saw improvement across some of northern Indiana’s larger metro areas.

The Elkhart-Goshen area jobless rate in August was 6.1%, down from 8.1% in July.

In Gary, the August jobless rate was 8.6%, down from 10.7% in July.

The Michigan City-La Porte area jobless rate was 8.5%, down from 10.6% in July.

In the South Bend-Mishawaka area, the jobless rate for August was 8.2%, down from 10.2% in August.