Jay’s rate falls to 3.2%

After peaking in February, the local unemployment rate is trending back toward 3%.

Estimates released Monday by Indiana Department of Workforce Development show Jay County with an unemployment rate of 3.2% for April.

The local rate had climbed to 4.1% in February, marking the first time it had reached 4% or higher since September 2020 following the spike related to coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.

Jay County’s rate last month was down 0.6 percentage points from March. It was still 0.5 percentage points higher than in April 2023.

Unemployment was down across the region as Jay, Henry and Wayne counties also saw declines of 0.6 percentage points or more. Indiana’s rate came in at 3.4%, 0.7 percentage points lower than in March.

“Again this month, the employment data shows the historic opportunity for skilled workers in Indiana,” said Indiana Department of Workforce Development commissioner Richard Paulk in a press release. “For the eighth month in a row, the number of private sector jobs reached a new peak. Profession and Business Services, Financial Activities, and Private Education and Health Services added jobs in Indiana over the month.”

Gibson County recorded the lowest unemployment rate amongst the state’s 92 counties for the third month in a row, this time tying with Dubois and Daviess counties at 2.5%.

Boone, Clinton, Hamilton and Union counties were next at 2.6%.

Howard County’s unemployment rate spiked to 6.1%, by far the highest in the state. Lake 

Area rates are as follows:

Adams County: 3%, down 0.7 percentage points, tied for 31st-lowest

Blackford County: 3.8%, down 0.9 percentage points, tied for 16th-highest

Delaware County: 3.9%, down 1 percentage point, tied for 13th-highest

Jay County: 3.2%, down 0.6 percentage points, tied for 42nd-lowest

Randolph County: 3.6%, down 0.6 percentage points, tied for 26th-highest

Wells County: 2.8%, down 0.7 percentage points, tied for ninth-lowest