INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 21, 2018) – Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for August and remains lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana’s unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.
Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 11,085 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,594 increase in unemployed residents and an increase of 8,491 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.39 million, and the state’s 65.0 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.7 percent.
In addition, Indiana’s initial unemployment insurance claims continue to be at historical lows.
Learn more about how unemployment rates are calculated here: http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/infographics/employment-status.asp.
Employment by Sector
Private sector employment has grown by more than 27,600 over the year, and has increased by 3,600 over the previous month, primarily due to gains in the Financial Activities (2,300) and the Construction (1,600) sectors. Gains were partially offset by losses in the Manufacturing (-2,000) and the Other (-1,600), which includes Mining and Logging, IT and Other Services, sectors. Total private employment stands at 2,706,600 and is 17,700 above the December 2017 peak.
Midwest Unemployment Rates
