Unemployment Holds at Lowest Level Since Mid-’90s
Steven Braun is commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe state’s unemployment rate remains at its lowest point in some 20 years. The state says more than 10,000 private sector jobs were added in June, compared to May, maintaining the unemployment level at 3.0 percent. During the same month a year ago, the rate stood at 4.5 percent.
Indiana is 15,700 jobs above November 2016’s peak employment level and now stands at nearly 2.7 million. Professional and Business Services and Private Educational and Health Services sectors rose by 3,500 jobs and 3,000 jobs, respectively, and the gains were offset partially by losses in the Transportation, Trade and Utilities and Construction sectors.
Indiana’s labor force decreased by more than 2,400 over the previous month and labor force participation was off slightly at 64.4 percent, which is 1.6 percent higher than the national average.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Steven Braun says "we are pleased to see Indiana’s unemployment rate go lower this past month and stay at its lowest levels since the mid-1990s. We believe this is an indication of the state’s ongoing strong economy."
The national unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent in June. Indiana is number one among states in the region. Michigan, at 3.8 percent in June, is second in the Midwest, followed by Illinois at 4.7 percent, Ohio at 5.0 percent and Kentucky at 5.1 percent.
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