State officials report more Hoosiers are returning to work ahead of the scheduled Sept. 6 expiration of federal pandemic unemployment benefits.
This is according to July employment data from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Indiana’s private employment increased month-over-month by 17,100 jobs and has recovered 96,600 jobs over the year, to bring the state’s total private employment to 2.65 million jobs. Private employment slumped during the pandemic to 2.33 million jobs in April 2020 from a recent high of 2.75 million jobs in February 2020.
Manufacturing showed the largest job gains (+4,800), followed by trade, transportation and utilities (+4,500), private educational and health services (+2,800); and professional and business services (+2,700).
Indiana’s manufacturing sector has added 30,700 jobs since July 2020, which ranks second-most in the nation, the state said. At nearly 540,000 jobs, the state’s manufacturing sector is at its highest level in since February 2020.
Indiana’s July unemployment rate was unchanged from June at 4.1%. It is lower than neighboring states Kentucky (4.4%); Michigan (4.8%); Ohio (5.4%); and Illinois (7.1%).
The state’s unemployment rate has decreased 12.8 percentage points since the high mark in April 2020, which represents the fifth-biggest drop in the U.S., officials said. The July U.S. unemployment rate is at 5.4%
Indiana’s labor force is estimated at 3.37 million and has increased 41,694 from the same time a year ago. The state’s labor force participation rate is at 63.2% and above the U.S. rate of 61.7%
