Indiana’s unemployment rate improved in July for the second consecutive month.
That’s despite other, negative employment figures.
The Indiana unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percent in July, down to 3.4 percent. That’s the lowest it’s been in more than a year – and it’s the first time it improved two consecutive months in more than a year and a half.
But the state’s private sector shed 1,300 jobs last month, primarily in the leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities sectors.
And in a worrying sign, the state’s labor force declined for the third consecutive month. The labor force measures both those with a job as well as people actively looking for one. And so, it’s often used as a barometer for confidence in the economy.
July marks the first time since the beginning of 2017 Indiana’s labor force worsened three months in a row.
