December Indiana Employment Report

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 24, 2020) – Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2 percent for December and remains lower than the national rate of 3.5 percent. 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 1,948 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 3 unemployed residents and an increase of 1,951 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.38 million, and the state’s 64.4 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 63.2 percent.

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 decreased by 500 over the year and by 900 over the previous month. The monthly decrease is primarily due to losses in the Leisure and Hospitality (-1,600) and the Private Educational and Health Services (-900) sectors. Losses were partially offset by gains in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities (2,100) and the Construction (1,400) sectors. Total private employment stands at 2,731,600, which is 500 below the December 2018 peak.

Midwest Unemployment Rates