Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
Unemployment rates were higher in November in 12 states, lower in three states and the District of Columbia, and stable in 35 states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week.
Thirty-six states and the District had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier, three states had increases, and 11 states had little change. The national unemployment rate, 3.7%, was unchanged over the month but was 0.5 percentage point lower than in November 2021.
Indiana, with a 3% jobless rate, was among states with a lower rate than the U.S. figure of 3.7%.
In total, 17 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure, six states and the District had higher rates, and 27 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
Indiana’s seasonally adjusted rate of 3% is the lowest among its Midwestern neighbors. Illinois has a rate of 4.7% followed by Michigan at 4.3%, Ohio at 4.2% and Kentucky at 4%.
Indiana has a labor force (defined as anyone over the age of 16) of nearly 3.4 million. Of those, nearly 3.3 million are employed. A total of 1.8 million Hoosiers are not in the labor force and not seeking employment. The number of residents unemployed and seeking work is 102,894.
As for professions most in demand in south central Indiana, the need for registered nurses continues with more postings for RNs than any other profession in November.
On the flip side, assemblers, fabricators and production workers were among the top occupations listed on resumes of those seeking work in the past 12 months.
Looking at counties in the Radius Indiana region, several of them had November jobless rates lower than the state’s non-seasonally adjusted rate of 2.8%. Here’s a county-by-county snapshot.
Crawford
Crawford County’s jobless rate stayed the same at 2.9% and is slightly higher than the 2.2% in November 2021. Its workforce totals 4,781 people with 139 looking for work.
Daviess
Daviess County’s November jobless rate of 2.1% was down slightly from October’s 2.2% but higher than November 2021 when the rate was 1.5%. With a labor force of 16,243, a total of 339 were looking for work.
Dubois
Dubois County’s jobless rate fell to 2.2% from its October rate of 2.3%. In November 2021, the county’s rate was 1.3%. With a workforce of 21,469 people, 472 were looking for work in November.
Greene
Greene County’s rate of 3.1% was unchanged from the previous month and was higher than in November 2021 when the rate was 2.1%. The county’s workforce numbers 13,536 with 422 unemployed.
Lawrence
Lawrence County’s rate of 3.2% was unchanged from a month ago and higher than a year ago when the rate was 2.1%. The county’s labor force totals 21,053 and 671 are unemployed and seeking jobs.
Martin
Martin County’s labor force is small, estimated at 5,424 people. Its November jobless rate of 2.5% held steady from October; a year ago, its rate was 1.5%.
Orange
Orange County’s rate did not change in November, holding at 3.2%. A year ago, its rate was 2.6%. The county’s workforce totaled 8,138; 257 were seeking jobs.
Washington
Washington County’s rate dipped to 2.4%. In October, its rate was 2.5%. A year ago, the county’s rate was just 1.8%. The county’s workforce totaled 14,020 and 342 were looking for jobs.