By Miles Flynn | Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana kicked off 2022 with unemployment holding at record lows dating back to the 1976 adoption of the current method for compiling the numbers, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 2.7% in December to 2.4% for January. Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate increased from 3.9% in December to 4% in January.
“With a 2.4% unemployment rate in January, even lower than the previous month, Indiana continues to outperform the nation as a whole,” DWD Commissioner Fred Payne said. “The low unemployment rate coincides with significant year-over-year job growth indicating that Indiana is trending in the right direction.”
In addition, Hoosier private sector employment increased by 1,500 jobs over the last month and has now grown for seven of the last eight months. This move has resulted in a gain of 85,800 jobs year-over-year. Total private employment now stands at 2,731,800 — 9,900 below the February 2019 peak of 2,741,700.
Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 1,528 over the previous month, due to an increase of 10,344 employed residents and a decrease of 8,816 unemployed residents.
Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3,304,953. The state’s labor force participation rate remains at 61.9% after year-end revisions, below the national rate of 62.2%.
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.
Non-seasonally adjusted numbers
The non-seasonally adjusted state rate for January is 2.4% (the same as the adjusted rate), which is actually up 1.1 percentage points the non-seasonally adjusted preliminary rate of 1.3% recorded for December. The non-seasonally adjusted national rate for January of 4.4% is up 0.7 percentage points from the December preliminary rate of 3.7%.
Looking back a year, the current state rate is down 2.3 percentage points from the 4.7% rate seen for January 2021. The current national rate is down 2.4 percentage points from the 6.8% rate recorded for January 202.
Seasonally adjusted numbers aren’t available below the state level. Like the state, all eight counties in the local area also saw increases in non-seasonally adjusted unemployment from December — and the increases were significant in some cases. However, unemployment in all eight counties is still lower now than it was a year ago. Labor force participation rate changes around the region varied widely by county.
Crawford County
Crawford County’s January unemployment rate jumped to 3.1%, which ranked sixth highest among Indiana’s 92 counties. The rate is up from the December preliminary figure by 1.7 percentage points but down 2.3 points from January 2021. 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 4,694 people for January, 147 residents were unemployed. The labor force is up four people from December but down 117 residents from January 2021.
Daviess County
Daviess County’s unemployment rate for January was once again among the lowest seen around the Hoosier state. The rate of 1.7% ranked 82nd highest in Indiana. The rate is up 0.9 percentage points from December but down 1.2 percentage points from January 2021. To review, Daviess County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 8.4%.
With a labor force of 16,315 people, Daviess County had 281 unemployed residents for January. The labor force is down 171 people from December and down 630 residents from January 2021.
Dubois County
Dubois County’s jobless rate for January was also one of the lowest numbers seen around the state and came in even lower than its neighbor to the north. The rate, 1.6%, ranks 88th highest in the state. It’s up 0.8 percentage points for December but is down two percentage points from January 2021. Dubois County’s unemployment rate stood at 10.6% for April 2020.
Out of 21,705 people in the county’s labor force for January, 337 were unemployed. The labor force is down 249 people from December and down 1,186 people from January 2021.
Greene County
The January unemployment rate for Greene County was 2.6%, which ranked 19th highest out of Indiana’s 92 counties. The rate is up 1.2 percentage points from December but down 2.2 percentage points from January 2021. Greene County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 12.8%.
Of a labor force of 13,447 residents for January, 347 people were unemployed. The labor force is up 142 residents from December and up 15 people from January 2020.
Lawrence County
Lawrence County’s January jobless rate came in at 2.5%, ranking 25th highest among Hoosier counties. The rate is up 1.2 percentage points from December but down 2.2 percentage points from January 2021. 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 20,527 residents for January, 516 of those people were unemployed. The labor force is up 167 people from December and up 11 people from January 2021.
Martin County
Martin County saw an unemployment rate of 1.8% for January, which ranked 78th highest in Indiana. The rate is up 0.9 percentage points from December but down 1.6 percentage points from January 2021. Martin County’s jobless rate for April 2020 was 8.8%.
Out of 5,388 people in the labor force for January, there were 95 unemployed residents. The labor force is up 37 residents from December but down 188 people from January 2021.
Orange County
Orange County’s unemployment rate crept up 2.9% for January, ranking 12th highest in Indiana. The rate is up 1.3 percentage points from December but down three percentage points from January 2021. 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 8,282 people for January, Orange County had 237 unemployed residents. Labor force participation is up 78 people from December but down 309 people from January 2021.
Washington County
Washington County’s January unemployment rate was 2.1%, which ranked as 54th highest in the state. The rate is up one percentage point from December but down 2.2 percentage points from January 2021. 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 13,5271 residents for January, 288 of those people were unemployed. The labor force is up 106 people from December but down 65 residents from January 2021.