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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe state added a smattering of jobs in May and the unemployment rate fell slightly, from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Friday morning.
Indiana created a seasonally adjusted 7,500 positions in the month—up 0.3 percent from April and 1.4 percent from a year earlier—as the private sector churned out more than enough jobs to compensate for a decline of 1,500 jobs in government.
Sectors showing job gains in May included trade, transportation and utilities (4,100); leisure and hospitality (3,300); and financial services (1,400). Business and professional services, a category that includes temporary workers, also was up substantially (2,500 jobs).
Declines occurred in private educational and health services (1,600) and manufacturing (800).
The Indianapolis-Carmel metropolitan area performed better than the state.
Job numbers increased 2 percent—or 19,000 positions—from April. Compared to May 2012, the area saw employment rise by 27,000 positions—a 3-percent increase. The unemplopyment rate in the metro area improved from 7.6 percent in May 2012 to 7.4 percent in May 2013.
Metro area data is not seasonally adjusted, thus is best compared with the same month in prior years.
Indiana University predicts the state economy will stay about the same for the next few months. The Business Research Center at the Kelley School of Business recently issued an index of 100.7—meaning that it anticipates neither significant growth nor contraction.
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