Indiana’s employment situation is showing some signs of recovery.
The state’s February jobless rate was 4%, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Indiana’s jobless rate in January was 4.2%
The U.S. jobless rate in February was 6.2%, the state reported. The monthly unemployment rate reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 4,971 in February when compared to January, the state said. This was a result of a decrease of 7,402 unemployed residents and an increase of 2,431 employed residents.
Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stood at 3.34 million in February, the state said. Indiana’s 63.2% labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 61.4%.
The state said private sector employment decreased by 113,400 over the year and decreased by 6,600 from the previous month. The monthly decrease is primarily due to losses in the trade, transportation and utilities (-5,500) and the financial activities (-900) sectors.
The state said losses were offset by gains in the manufacturing (2,500) and the leisure and hospitality (1,500) sectors. Total private employment stood at 2,622,000 in February.
Jobless rates in some of northern Indiana’s metro areas in February either rose, remain unchanged or fell.
The jobless rate in the Elkhart-Goshen area in February was 3.5%, which was unchanged from January. The Gary area’s February jobless rate was 6.7%, which also was unchanged from January.
The Michigan City-La Porte area jobless rate in February was 6.9%, up from 6.8% in January.
The South Bend-Mishawaka jobless rate in February was 5.4%, which was down from 5.7% in January.
