Indiana’s unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent for the third consecutive month in May. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development says the state also lost 1,200 private sector jobs last month.
This story by Alex Brown originally appeared in Inside Indiana Business.
In addition to the loss in jobs, figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Indiana’s labor force saw a net decrease of more than nearly 11,000 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 also dropped slightly to 65 percent, which remains above the national rate of 62.8 percent.
The DWD says the decrease in jobs last month was primarily due to losses in the leisure and hospitality and financial activities sectors. Those losses were partially offset by gains in the manufacturing and private educational and healthcare services sectors.
Indiana’s unemployment rate remains the same as the national rate. 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 3.3 percent, respectively.
