State's Unemployment Rate Drops For First Time In Four Months

After four months without a decrease in unemployment, Indiana’s rate fell below 6 percent in February.

Indiana’s unemployment rate rose to 6 percent in January, the first time in nearly a year.  But it only lasted a month, falling back to 5.9 percent in February. The state’s private sector also created 1,700 jobs last month.

The slight dip in the unemployment rate is due in part to Hoosiers leaving the labor force in February, meaning fewer people looking for work.  But Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Steven Braun notes that the percentage of Hoosiers who either have a job or are looking for one has been higher than the national average for nearly a year. 

Yet a recent report from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis says that, in that same timeframe, Hoosier personal income only went up 2.5 percent. Only five states saw a lower increase.