Indiana’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in June. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says the state also gained 6,800 private sector jobs last month.
This story by Merritt McLaughlin originally appeared in Inside Indiana Business.
Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Indiana’s labor force saw a net decrease of more than nearly 10,126 over the previous month. The state’s total labor force, which includes residents who are either employed or seeking employment, stands at 3.4 million.
Indiana’s labor force participation rate remained at 65 percent, which remains above the national rate of 62.9 percent.
The DWD says the increase in jobs last month was primarily due to gains in the Private Educational and Health Services and the Professional and Business Services sectors. Those gains were partially offset by losses in the Manufacturing and the Construction sectors.
Indiana’s unemployment rate is lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. Of the surrounding states, Indiana continues to be the only one to have an unemployment rate below 4 percent. Only Wisconsin and Minnesota have lower unemployment rates in the Midwest at 2.8 and 3.1 percent, respectively.
