Unemployment Ticks Up in March

(image courtesy of the Department of Workforce Development)

Indiana’s unemployment rate rose slightly in March to 3.6 percent. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says the state set a preliminary record for private sector employment for the sixth consecutive month.

Unemployment in Indiana remains below the national rate, which remained flat at 3.8 percent last month. According to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana’s labor force participation rate rose slightly to 65.3 percent, which remains higher than the national rate.

Indiana added 5,300 private sector jobs in March, bringing the preliminary record employment total to 2,750,400. The majority of the gains in private sector employment came from the professional and business services, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality sectors.

Of the surrounding states, Indiana continues to be the only one to have an unemployment rate below 4 percent. Only Minnesota and Wisconsin have lower unemployment rates in the Midwest at 3.2 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

You can connect to more about Indiana’s unemployment rate from the Department of Workforce Development by clicking here.