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Unemployment Rate Down, Labor Force Up In February

The state’s unemployment rate improved for the second consecutive month as it went to 3.2 percent.
Brandon Smith/IPB News
The state’s unemployment rate improved for the second consecutive month as it went to 3.2 percent.

February was a largely positive month for Indiana’s employment picture.

The state’s unemployment rate improved for the second consecutive month as it went to 3.2 percent. That’s the lowest it’s been since December 2000.

Helping that was a 5,200 job surge in the state’s private sector, led by the construction industry.

And for the first time in five months, the state’s labor force increased. The labor force is a measure that counts both employed Hoosiers and those actively looking for a job. Growth in the labor force is often viewed as a sign of optimism in the economy.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state.
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