Jay unemployment was 5.6 in March

The state’s rate was fairly stable. Area numbers were anything but.
Jay County’s unemployment rate went down one-tenth of 1 percent in March to 5.6 percent, according to estimates Indiana Department of Workforce Development released Monday. But the numbers were a jumble in East Central Indiana.
In the six-county area, three counties saw their rates go down — Blackford and Randolph counties joined Jay — while three saw theirs go up.
Randolph County’s numbers showed the most improvement as its rate dropped by 0.6 percentage points to 5.6 percent, tying it with Jay, Franklin and Pulaski for 42nd-highest in the state. Meanwhile, Adams County saw its number shoot up by 0.4 percentage points to 4.6 percent — 13th lowest in the state.
Indiana stayed fairly balanced despite the see-saw act locally, with its rate ticking up slightly to 5.5 percent after sitting at 5.4 percent in February.
State officials touted a surge in workforce totals during the first quarter of the year.
“Over 60,000 Hoosiers joined the workforce in the first three months of 2016, which is indicative of worker confidence in finding and securing gainful employment in Indiana,” IDWD commissioner Steven J. Braun said in a press release. “While this influx of workers has an effect on the unemployment rate, the fact that 9,300 more Hoosiers are employed than last month, and over 87,000 more are employed than this time last year, is a testament to Indiana’s strong and growing economy.”
Though slightly improved from February, Jay County’s unemployment rate for March was 0.2 percentage points higher than at the same time last year.
Hamilton and Dubois counties continued to lead the state, sharing the top spot with unemployment rates of 3.9 percent. LaGrange was the next lowest at 4.1 percent.
Vermillion and Greene counties traded positions at the opposite end of the rankings for the fourth straight month, this time with Vermillion posting the highest unemployment rate of 8.4 percent. Greene County followed at 8.2 percent.
Area unemployment rates are as follows:
Adams County: 4.6 percent, up 0.4 percentage points, 13th lowest.
Blackford County: 6.8 percent, down 0.4 percentage points, t-14th highest.
Delaware County: 6.3 percent, up 0.1 percentage points, t-22nd highest.
Jay County: 5.6 percent, down 0.1 percentage points, t-42nd highest.
Randolph County: 5.6 percent, down 0.7 percentage points, t-42nd highest.
Wells County: 4.5 percent, up 0.2 percentage points, t-10th lowest.