Jay rate rises

Unemployment in Jay County ticked up slightly in December, but the county’s jobless rate was still one of the lowest in the state.
Among counties in east central Indiana, only Wells posted a better jobless picture last month.
Preliminary data from Indiana Department of Workforce Development showed Jay County with a December unemployment rate of 7.4 percent, up slightly from 7.1 percent in November but exactly the same as December 2011.
Jay, Wells, and Adams continued to outperform their neighbors when it comes to jobless rates.
Wells County’s preliminary rate for December was 7.1, up from 6.7 in November but down from December of 2011’s rate of 8.0.
Adams County’s preliminary December rate was 7.7 percent, up from 7.4 percent in November. The Adams rate in December 2011 was 8.3 percent.
Meanwhile, a number of nearby counties continue to struggle.
Blackford County posted the 10th-worst jobless rate in Indiana in December with 10.2 percent. That’s up from 9.6 percent in November. The Blackford rate in December 2011 was 10.8 percent.
Randolph and Grant counties were ranked 18 and 19 on the list of the highest jobless rates in the state for the month.
Randolph’s December rate was 9.9 percent, up from 9.2 percent in November and about the same as December 2011 when it was 10 percent.
Grant County’s preliminary December rate was 9.8 percent, up from 9.4 percent a month earlier. The December 2011 rate was 10.1 in Grant County.
Delaware County’s December rate was 9.3 percent, up from 8.9 percent in November. Delaware County’s rate in December 2011 was 9.8 percent.
On a statewide basis, Indiana’s private sector employment grew by 8,300 jobs in December.
The state added nearly 54,000 jobs in 2012, the largest growth in a calendar year in more than a decade.
Private sector employment in the state is now almost 97 percent of pre-recession levels, according to the Department of Workforce Development.

[[In-content Ad]]