Steelworkers rallied outside the Carrier factory in Indianapolis Wednesday to protest plans to close the heating and air conditioning plant, sending 1,400 jobs to Mexico.

Indiana's unemployment rate held steady for the third consecutive month in November, still its lowest level in 14 years.

The Indiana unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent last month, the lowest level since August of 2001.

Gov. Mike Pence says Indiana has paid a $250 million debt owed on a recession-era federal loan that was used to pay unemployment benefits after the state depleted its own funds.

Indiana's unemployment rate decreased for the seventh consecutive month in September, falling to its lowest level in eight years.

By loaning itself $250 million from the state's General Fund, Indiana will pay off the rest of the loan by early November, avoiding next year's penalty - and saving employers $327 million.

The state's monthly report also shows the unemployment rate dropped from 4.9 percent in June to 4.7 percent in July. That's down a little more than 1 percent from this same time last year.

Indiana took out a more than $2 billion loan from the federal government at the height of the recession to pay unemployment benefits. It's been paying it back ever since. And as long as the state owes money on the loan, employers have to pay a penalty.