County rate up again

Since hitting a six-year low in April, the positive unemployment-rate trend in Jay County has reversed.
The rate went up for the second straight month in June and has gone up a full percentage point in a two month span to sit at 5.7 percent according to estimates the Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Friday. The 4.7 percent mark for April was the lowest since 2008.
Jay and Blackford counties tied for the biggest increase in the six-county region — 0.6 percentage points — while most of the state saw smaller jumps. Indiana’s rate climbed from 5.8 percent to 6.1 percent despite a strong month in terms of private sector job creation.
“Indiana added more private sector jobs last month than any other June on record, which is quite significant,” said Scott B. Sanders, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, in a press release. “The Hoosier labor force has also grown by more than 43,000 in 2014 alone. There is definitely more work to do, but it remains clear that Hoosiers are going back to work and good jobs are available.”
Wells County, which had the eighth-lowest rate in Indiana in May, was fourth-lowest in June at 4.7 percent. The top three in the state are Dubois (4.3), Hamilton (4.5) and Bartholomew (4.6) counties.
Meanwhile, Delaware County’s struggles continued as its rate went up 0.4 percentage points to 7.6 percent. That is the eighth-highest rate in Indiana.
Individual area unemployment rates are as follows:
Adams County: 5.3 percent, up 0.4 percentage points, t-18th lowest.
Blackford County: 6.8, up 0.6 percentage points, t-19th highest.
Delaware County: 7.6 percent, up 0.4 percentage points, t-sixth highest.
Jay County: 5.7 percent, up 0.6 percentage points, t-38th lowest.
Randolph County: 6.4 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-32nd highest.
Wells County: 4.7 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-fourth lowest.[[In-content Ad]]