State unemployment rate inches up to 9 percent

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Indiana’s unemployment rate ticked up in October to a seasonally adjusted 9 percent, matching the overall U.S. rate, the state’s Department of Workforce Development said Tuesday morning.

The rate increased from 8.9 percent in September, marking the fifth straight month Indiana unemployment has risen.

Indiana lost 2,900 private-sector jobs in October while more Hoosiers returned to the labor force to look for work.

The total number of unemployed Hoosiers was 273,471 in October, compared with 266,420 in September.

The state’s unemployment rate has climbed from 8.2 percent in May, but is nearly a full percentage point below the 9.9 percent it reached in September 2010.

Employment sectors adding a significant amount of jobs were trade, transportation and utilities, government, and manufacturing. Employment in construction, private education and health services, and financial activities showed large declines.

Indiana’s unemployment rate had been lower than that of neighboring states for several months, but now is the same as Ohio's. Kentucky’s is 9.6 percent, Illinois’ is 10.1 percent, and Michigan’s is 10.6 percent.

In the Indianapolis metropolitan area, the non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 8.3 percent in October, down slightly from 8.4 percent in October 2010.

Comparisons of metro areas are more accurately made using the same months in prior years because the government does not adjust the figures for factory furloughs and other seasonal fluctuations.

 
 

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