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INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 21, 2020) – Indiana’s unemployment rate drops to 7.8 percent for July, and the national rate is 10.2 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 decrease of 75,741 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 117,983 unemployed residents and an increase of 42,242 employed residents. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.31 million, and the state’s 62.8 percent labor force participation rate is above the national rate of 61.4 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 127,000 over the year and increased by 40,500 over the previous month. The monthly increase is primarily due to gains in the Leisure and Hospitality (23,100) and the Professional and Business Services (11,100) sectors. Gains were offset by a loss in the Construction (-100) sector. Total private employment stands at 2,601,500, which is 147,800 below the January 2019 peak.
Midwest Unemployment Rates
