State unemployment rate ticks up as more seek work

Indiana’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.3 percent in June after spending the previous four months at 3.2 percent.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development announced the latest rate on Friday.

Indiana’s labor force—which is composed of both employed and unemployed-but-willing-to-work residents—increased by 14,948 workers from May to June, to 3.36 million. The increase came from a rise of 11,163 employed residents and a 3,785 hike in unemployed residents.

Indiana’s labor-force participation rate—the percentage of the state’s population that is either employed or actively seeking work—rose to 64.6 percent in June. It remains ahead of the national rate of 62.9 percent.

Private sector employment in Indiana fell by 2,500 in June, but is up more than 16,600 over the year, the state said.

June job losses were seen in the sectors of Private Educational & Health Services (-2,700) and the “Other” category (-2,000), which includes the Mining and Logging and IT sectors. Gains came in Manufacturing (1,600) and Financial Activities (900).

Total private employment in the state was nearly 2.7 million in June.

The unemployment rate in Indiana for June was lower than the rates in neighboring states Michigan (4.5 percent), Illinois (4.3 percent), Ohio (4.5 percent) and Kentucky (4.2 percent).

The state’s unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate (currently 4 percent) for more than four years, except for the month of October 2014, when it was equal.