Indiana’s employment situation appears to be on the mend.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, reported the state’s jobless was 4.3% in December, down 0.8% from November’s rate of 5.1%. Indiana’s jobless rate in November 2019 was 3.2%

The monthly jobless rate is a government indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.

Indiana’s December labor force had a net increase of 83,609 from November, the state said. This was a result of a decrease of 23,903 unemployed residents and an increase of 107,512 employed residents.

Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stood at 3.39 million in December. The state’s 64% labor force participation rate was above the national rate of 61.5%.

The state said private sector employment decreased by 69,900 for the year but increased by 17,400 from November. The monthly increase is primarily due to 8,400 job gains in the trade, transportation, and utilities sectors and 5,800 job gains in the professional and business services sectors.

Gains were offset by 1,100 job losses in leisure and hospitality and 200 lost jobs in private education and health services.

The state said total private employment in December was 2,663,600, which is 85,700 below the January 2019 peak.