A southeastern Indiana county has the highest unemployment numbers in the state, according to new data released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
The jobless rate in Fayette County increased last month from 7.6 percent to 8 percent. The county now has the highest unemployment rate surpassing Vermillion County at 7.8 percent.
The May numbers show the unemployment rate held steady across the state at 5.7 percent, mainly due to approximately 2,000 Hoosiers returning to the labor force to look for work.
Indiana’s rate of unemployment remains more than one-half of a percentage point below the national rate. Indiana’s labor force gains also continue to outpace the national rate, as the Hoosier labor force has grown by more than 46,000 over the past year, while U.S. increases have been minimal.
“The Hoosier labor force has grown significantly for the past eight months in a row,” said Scott B. Sanders, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “This is not the case with some of our neighboring states who have experienced unemployment rate declines due to decreases in their labor force. It is clear that Hoosiers are going back to work and that good jobs are available.”
Other counties in the region were just above or below the state average with Ripley County at 6.1 percent, Dearborn at 5.8 percent, Franklin County at 5.6 percent, and Decatur County at 5.2 percent.
