A strong economy often translates to a low unemployment rate.
That’s the case for Indiana, which logged a 3.6 percent jobless rate in May, which was unchanged from April and March, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, citing Labor Department statistics.
The U.S. jobless rate also stood at 3.6 percent, the state said. The monthly unemployment rate is a Labor Department indicator, which reflects 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 10,677 from the previous month, the state said. This was a result of a decrease of 2,312 unemployed residents and a decrease of 8,365 employed residents.
Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stood at 3.40 million in May. The state’s 65 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.8 percent.
The state said private sector employment has grown by 32,900 during the year and decreased by 1,200 from the previous month. The monthly decrease is primarily due to 1,000 lost jobs in leisure and hospitality and 900 lost jobs in financial activities. Losses were partially offset by 900 new manufacturing jobs and 900 new jobs in private educational and health care services.
Total private employment stands at 2,742,100, which is 10,000 above the December 2018 peak, the state said.
