Indiana's private sector lost nearly 2,000 jobs last month despite near-record growth in the manufacturing sector.
The state's unemployment rate fell one-tenth of 1 percent to 5.7 percent last month, keeping the state below the national average for the ninth consecutive month.
And Hoosier manufacturing added 5,900 jobs, one of the largest single-month increases in a decade.
But private sector jobs shrunk, led by significant losses in the leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation and utilities sectors.
And while the Leading Index for Indiana – an economic indicator for the state – rose last month, it was a small increase, weighed down by a drop in confidence among homebuilders and small businesses.