Unemployment Holds at Decade-Low Level
The state’s unemployment rate remained at 4.4 percent in December. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says the rate has decreased by 1.5 percent over the last year and continues to be at the lowest level in more than a decade.
Commissioner Steven Braun says "claims for unemployment insurance are at their lowest point since 1998." In December, losses in the manufacturing, private education and health services, financial activities, professional and business services and leisure and hospitality offset gains in trade, transportation and utilities as well as construction.
The department says the labor force increased by 10,000 workers last month, which marked the 12th consecutive month the state’s labor force participation exceeded the national average.
Regionally, Indiana continues to outperform surrounding states. Ohio was the next-closest in terms of unemployment rate at 4.7 percent, followed by Michigan at 5.1 percent, Kentucky at 5.3 percent and Illinois at 5.9 percent. The national average remains at 5 percent.
Governor Mike Pence released a statement on the report saying:
After closing out a year of record economic development and private sector employment in Indiana, I welcome the news that our unemployment rate remains at its lowest point in more than a decade. The fact that more Hoosiers are working than ever before is worth celebrating, but I remain confident that we can build an Indiana ever more prosperous in the months and years ahead.