Indiana Unemployment Rate Holds At 5.7 Percent

INDIANAPOLIS – Due in part to an increase in private sector jobs, Indiana’s unemployment rate held steady during the month of November.

At 5.7 percent, the November unemployment in the state was 1.2 percentage points less than during the same time last year and exactly the same as in October of this year. The Hoosier state’s rate is slightly below the national unemployment average, which currently sits at 5.8 percent.

The monthly statistics – distributed by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development – point to an increase in jobs in several industries, including professional and business services, transportation and utilities, and manufacturing. A total of 12,300 individuals joined the labor force last month, 6,400 of which took a job in the professional and business services industry.

“Indiana’s private sector job growth in November, when taken in historical context is quite remarkable,” Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Steven Braun said in a statement. “Equally impressive is the fact that the Hoosier state has added more than 75,000 individuals to our labor force over the past year alone.”

Indiana’s unemployment rate in November is lower than each of its surrounding states, except Ohio, which saw a rate of 5 percent for the month. Almost 64 percent of Hoosiers are active in the labor force, slightly higher than the national average.

The state’s labor force has grown by more than 75,000 individuals throughout the past year, ranking Indiana seventh in the nation in that category.

Indiana also added 2,300 manufacturing jobs in November and continues to have the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

Jacob Rund is the assistant editor for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.