Indiana’s jobless rate continued showing signs of improvement as more people returned to work following weeks off from pandemic-related shutdowns and reduced operations.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics data, reported the state’s jobless rate for September was 6.2%, down from 6.5% in August, but still higher than the 3.2% jobless rate the state reported in September 2019. The monthly unemployment rate is a government indicator reflecting 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 19,691 over the previous month, the state said. That was a result of a decrease of 6,289 unemployed residents and a decrease of 13,402 employed residents.
The state reported private sector employment decreased by 109,700 the past 12 months and by 4,500 from the previous month.
The monthly decrease is primarily due to losses in the private education and health services (-4,000) and the construction (-1,300) sectors. Losses were offset by gains in the professional and business services (2,000) and the leisure and hospitality (800) sectors.
The state said total private employment stood at 2,623,100, which is 126,200 below the January 2019 peak.
Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stood at 3.33 million in September. The state’s 63% labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 61.4%.
