State unemployment continues to tick upward
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The state’s unemployment rate has risen slightly again from 3.3% to 3.4% in August, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s August report released Tuesday. The state’s unemployment has ticked upward one-tenth of a percent every month since April’s 3%.
The national percentage hangs at 3.8%.
The workforce participation rate increased to 63.5%, which is still above the national rate of 62.8%. The total labor force tallies about 3.4 million Hoosiers.
“The number of Hoosiers in the labor force remains near an all-time high, and the need for skilled workers has never been greater,” DWD Commissioner Richard Paulk said in a news release.
As for job postings, almost 105,000 jobs were reported open in August. The construction industry added about 1,300 jobs last month, while manufacturing had 400 more available jobs.
However, private-sector employment dropped by 4,400 jobs last month. The state still stands at a 45,800 increase year-over-year.
Over 15,000 Hoosiers applied for unemployment insurance claims.