Indiana’s jobless rate was unchanged in July when compared to the previous month.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, reported the state’s jobless rate for July was 4.1%, where it was in June. The monthly unemployment 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.

The state said Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 1,740 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 630 unemployed residents and a decrease of 1,110 employed residents.

Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stood at 3.35 million. The state’s 63.2% labor force participation rate was above the national rate of 61.7%.

The state said private sector employment increased by 96,600 over the year and increased by 17,100 over the previous month. The monthly increase is primarily due to gains in the manufacturing (4,800), the trade, transportation and utilities (4,500) and the private educational and health services (2,800) sectors.

Job gains were offset by a loss in the financial activities (-1,600) sector. Total private employment stood at 2,650,500, which was 90,000 below the December 2019 peak, the state said.

The state’s July jobless rate was lower when compared to the same month last year. When the pandemic fueled an economic slowdown, Indiana’s jobless rate in July 2020 was 8.6%.

Jobless rates in some of the state’s metro areas dropped in July from June.

The Gary area’s jobless rate was 6.9%, down from 7% in June and down from 12.2% from July 2020.

The Elkhart-Goshen area jobless rate in July was 2.9%, down from 3.4% in June and down from 8.7% in July 2020.

The Michigan City-LaPorte area jobless rate in July was 5.8%, down from 6.2% in June and down from 11.9% in July 2020.

The South Bend-Mishawaka area jobless rate in July was 4.6%, down from 5.1% in June and down from 10.6% in July 2020.