Indiana's Unemployment Rate Drops To Lowest Level In Nine Months

Indiana’s unemployment rate declined in August for the fourth consecutive month, and is now at its lowest level in nine months.

The unemployment rate last month fell to 4.5 percent. That marks a decline of more than half-a-percent in just four months.

The state’s private sector added 5,600 jobs last month, the fifth consecutive month of private sector job growth. The increase was led by a surge in professional and business service jobs, while the leisure and hospitality sector also showed strong gains.

Still, the construction and manufacturing industries experienced sharp declines in August.

Indiana’s unemployment rate is now tied for lowest among its neighboring states and is nearly a half percent lower than the national average.