Indiana's unemployment rate outperforms national average, hits new private sector peak

Indiana's unemployment rate continued to outperform the national rate for the sixth month in a row. New preliminary data shows the state's unemployment rate remained the same for a third consecutive month.

Indiana's unemployment rate stands at 3.6 percent for the month of August — the same it's been since June. Nationally the rate is 4.3 percent. According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Indiana reported a new private employment peak in August of more than 2.8 million jobs.

READ MORE: What does Indiana's monthly employment report measure? Here's what you should know
 

Looking for more reporting on statewide issues? Check out our projects Civically, Indiana and our climate questions project ipbs.org/climatequestions.
 

Indiana's labor force participation rate — the percentage of working-age Hoosiers who are actively working or looking for work — stood at 63.6 percent.

That's a slight decrease from July but still nearly a point higher than the same time last year. Indiana's unemployment rate and the national unemployment rate last August were both measured at 4.2 percent.

Timoria is our labor and employment reporter. Contact her at tcunningham@wfyi.org.