Indiana’s jobless rate in May rose slightly from April.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, said the state’s jobless rate in May was 4%, up from 3.9% in April. The monthly unemployment rate is a federal indicator reflecting the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Indiana’s jobless rate in May 2020 was 12%, primarily driven by business closures or reduced operations because of the global pandemic.
Indiana’s labor force in May had a net increase of 6,370 over the previous month, the state said. This was a result of an increase of 3,292 unemployed residents and an increase of 3,078 employed residents.
Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, totaled 3.34 million in May, the state said. The state’s 63.2% labor force participation rate was above the national rate of 61.6%.
Indiana’s private sector employment increased by 234,800 over the year and decreased by 2,700 over the previous month. The monthly decrease is due to losses in the manufacturing (-3,600) and the trade, transportation and utilities (-700) sectors.
The state said job losses were offset by gains in the leisure and hospitality (1,900) and the construction (400) sectors. Total private employment stood at 2,620,800 in May, which is 119,700 below the December 2019 peak.
