County unemployment rate improves 0.2% to 4% in March

As for the county's rank statewide, it was 8th-worst in April 2022, slipped back to 7th-worst in June, then improved to 8th-worst in July and August, to 10th-worst in September, then slipped back to 8th-worst in October, 7th-worst in November, before improving again to 9th-worst in December, then to 16th-worst in January and February, and now 18th-worst in March.

The state’s non-seasonally adjusted labor force estimates for March shows the county is 87 higher in labor force, 100 higher in employment numbers and 13 lower in unemployed workers compared to the same month last year.

The county’s unemployment rate of 4% is 0.2% lower than last year's 4.2%. The county’s labor force was 8,025 in March, compared to 7,938 a year ago, the number of persons employed was 7,704 in March, compared to 7,604 last year, while the number of unemployed workers was 321 in March, compared to 334 a year ago.

Indiana’s unemployment rate in March stands at 3.1%, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. By comparison, the national unemployment rate for March stands at 3.5%.

In addition, Indiana’s labor force participation rate increased to 63.5% for March, remaining above the national rate of 62.6%. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3,416,350 — an increase of 6,653 from the previous month.

Private sector employment in Indiana increased by 3,300 jobs over the last month, translating to a gain of 70,200 jobs from this time last year. Indiana's March private employment stands at 2,830,500. This is a new private employment peak for Indiana.

Industries that experienced job increases in March included:

• Professional and Business Services (+4,400);

• Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+800);

• Leisure and Hospitality (+700); and

• Manufacturing (+400).

As of April 17, 2023, there were 130,218 open job postings throughout the state. In March, 17,039 unemployment insurance claims were filed in Indiana.

Individuals looking for work, training or career information are encouraged to visit in.gov/dwd/job-seekers.

The overall gap in the state unemployment rate in March from top to bottom — Lake County at 5.4% (worst) and Gibson County at 2.3% (best) — saw this gap remain rise 0.1% to 3.1%.

Other nearby counties rankings and rates in March are Vermillion (4th-worst, 4.8%), Owen (9th-worst, 4.3%), Greene (13th-worst, 4.2%), Vigo (17th-worst, 4.0%), Parke (23rd-worst, 3.9%), Clay (27th-worst, 3.8%), Brown (33rd-worst, 3.6%), Putnam (45th-worst, 3.4%), Monroe (54th-worst, 3.2%), Knox (65th-worst, 3.0%), Dubois (86th-worst, 2.7%), Daviess (90th-worst, 2.5%) and Gibson (92nd-worst, 2.3%).

The April Indiana Employment Report will be released on May 19, with the Indiana County, City and MSA Employment Report released on May 22.