INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.2% in September, the lowest rate for the state in nearly two decades.
Employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday showed the state’s unemployment rate below the national rate of 3.5%.
Indiana’s unemployment rate is the lowest since December 2000.
The state’s private sector employment decreased by 3,400 from August-September, thanks to losses in the Leisure and Hospitality and the Manufacturing sectors, BLS data shows. Indiana did see gains Construction and the Financial Activities sectors. Indiana's manufacturing jobs are at their lowest point of the year.
According to the BLS, people are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work. This would not include people who are retired, students, people taking care of family members or those discouraged from finding a job.
