By Miles Flynn | Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS — Jobless rates were down across the region, state and nation for November, according to Indiana Department of Workforce Development reports, and the state rate is now lower than it has been in more than two decades. Labor participation, however, showed significant variation.
The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. The labor force includes residents employed and those seeking employment.
Crawford County
Crawford County’s November unemployment rate was 2.1%, which ranked 23rd highest among Indiana’s 92 counties. The rate is down from the October preliminary figure by 0.4 percentage points and down 3.1 points from November 2020. Looking back to the worst days of the COVID shutdown, Crawford County’s unemployment stood at 16.4% for April 2020 and remained in double digits for three months.
In a labor force of 4,754 people for November, 101 residents were unemployed. The labor force is down 28 people from October but up 46 residents from November 2020.
Daviess County
Daviess County’s unemployment rate for November was once again among the lowest seen in the entire state. The rate — 1.4% — ranked 84th highest in Indiana. The rate is down 0.3 percentage points from October and down 1.4 percentage points from November 2020. To review, Daviess County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 8.4%.
With a labor force of 16,407 people, Daviess County had 222 unemployed residents for November. The labor force is down 207 people from October but up 79 residents from November 2020.
Dubois County
Dubois County’s jobless rate for November was even lower than what was seen at Daviess County, coming in at 1.3%, which ranks 89th highest in the state. The rate is down 0.3 percentage points for October and is down 2.2 percentage points from November 2020. Dubois County’s unemployment rate stood at 10.6% for April 2020.
Out of 21,853 people in the county’s labor force for November, 289 were unemployed. The labor force is down 204 people from October and down 150 people from November 2020.
Greene County
The November unemployment rate for Greene County was 2.1%, which ranked 24th highest out of Indiana’s 92 counties. The rate is down 0.5 percentage points from October and down 2.3 percentage points from November 2020. Greene County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 12.8%.
Of a labor force of 13,440 residents for November, 286 people were unemployed. The labor force is down 134 residents from October but up 264 people from November 2020.
Lawrence County
Lawrence County’s November jobless rate came in at 2%, ranking 33rd highest among Hoosier counties. The rate is down 0.4 percentage points from October and down 2.7 percentage points from November 2020. Lawrence County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 17.6% and didn’t drop back into single digits until the report for July 2020.
Out of a labor force of 20,708 residents for November, 417 of those people were unemployed. The labor force is down 29 people from October but up 249 people from November 2020.
Martin County
Martin County saw an unemployment rate of 1.5% for November, which ranked 79th highest in Indiana. The rate is down 0.2 percentage points from October and down 1.9 percentage points from November 2020. Martin County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 8.8%.
Out of 5,347 people in the labor force for November, there were 82 unemployed residents. The labor force is down 57 residents from September and down 13 people from November 2020.
Orange County
Orange County made more progress on the jobless front in November. However, with its many tourist-focused businesses, it again registered one of the higher unemployment rates seen around the state in the report for the period. The figure came in at 2.6 percent, ranking sixth highest in Indiana. The rate is down 0.4 percentage points from October and down 4.5 percentage points from November 2020. Orange County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was a staggering 25.8% and remained in double digits for four months.
With a labor force of 8,163 people for November, Orange County had 211 unemployed residents. Labor force participation is down 92 people from October but up 878 people from November 2020.
Washington County
Washington County’s November unemployment rate was 2.4%, which ranked as 50th highest in the state. The rate is down 0.4 percentage points from October and down 2.4 percentage points from November 2020. Washington County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 19.1% and remained in double digits for three months.
Out of a labor force of 13,418 residents for November, 238 of those people were unemployed. The labor force is down 15 people from October and down 59 residents from November 2020.
State and nation
Indiana’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 2.1%, and the seasonally adjusted rate of 3% matched a low the state has not seen since November 2000. “It has been more than 20 years since we saw a 3.0% unemployment rate. This, along with private employment showing gains for five of the last six consecutive months are signs of a positive and strengthening economy,” said Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne.
The non-seasonally adjusted national rate was 3.9%, and the seasonally adjusted national rate for November was 4.2%. (Seasonally adjusted numbers are not available below the state level.)
Continuing with non-seasonally adjusted numbers, the state’s November rate is down 0.4 percentage points from what was reported for October and down 2.8 percentage points from November 2020. Indiana saw a jobless rate of 17.1% for April 2020, and the rate didn’t slip back down into single digits until the report for July 2020.
The United States’ November rate is down 0.4 percentage points from October and down 2.5 percentage points from November 2020. The rate was at 14.4% for April 2020 and remained in double digits for four months.
Out of Indiana’s November labor force of 3,311,883 residents, 69,476 of those people were unemployed. Indiana’s labor force is down 1,237 people from October and down 13,987 residents from November 2020. The state’s labor force participation rate of 62.5% remains above the national rate of 61.8%. This rate is comparable to the rate at the height of the pandemic nearly two years ago.
Nationally, out of a labor force of 162,099,000 residents for November, 6,302,000 of them were unemployed. The country’s labor force is up 236,000 people from October and up 1,631,000 people from November 2020.
State employment by sector
Indiana private sector employment has now increased for five of the last six months, resulting in a gain of 69,400 jobs from May 2021 to November 2021. The monthly increase in jobs for November can primarily be attributed to Manufacturing (+5,000); Leisure and Hospitality (+3,300); Professional & Business Services (+2,900); Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+2,300); and Construction (+1,500).