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Indiana December 2024 Employment Report

Friday, January 31, 2025 at 12:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

The unemployment rate in Indiana was recorded at 4.5% in December, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. In comparison, the national unemployment rate for December stood at 4.1%. 

Additionally, Indiana’s labor force participation rate is 63.5%, compared to the national rate of 62.5%. This rate represents the percentage of Hoosiers aged 16 and older who are working or actively seeking work. Those not in the labor force primarily include students, retirees, and other non-working individuals, such as those unable to work due to disability or illness or adults responsible for their family's childcare needs. Indiana’s total labor force is now 3,451,468, marking its highest level on record. 

 

Marshall County's December unemployment rate was 3.7%, ranking us 55th out of 92 counties in the state.

 

Looking at the counties surrounding Marshall County, you will find Starke County fifth on the list with a rate of 5.3%. LaPorte County is next, sitting ninth on the list with an unemployment rate of 5.0, while Fulton County follows up at 14th with a rate of 4.6%. St. Joseph County is 27th on the list of counties with a rate of 4.5%, and Kosciusko County is 31st with an unemployment rate of 4.2%, followed by Elkhart County, which is 36th in the state with an unemployment rate of 4.0.  Pulaski County has the lowest rate in our neighborhood, sitting 62nd with a rate of 3.6%.

 

Howard County tops the list of Indiana counties with an unemployment rate of 7.7%, and Gibson County is at the bottom, at 92nd with a rate of 2.8%. 

     


In December 2024, total private employment reached 2,872,600, reflecting an increase of 2,100 from the previous month and 608,300 above the trough in April 2020. 

Industries that saw job increases this month include:

• Private Education & Health Services (+2,500)

• Professional & Business Services (+1,300)

• Financial Activities (+900) 

As of December 27, 2024, there were 84,578 open job postings across the state. By the week ending December 28, 2024, Indiana had 24,631 continued unemployment insurance claims filed. 

Individuals seeking work, training, or career information are encouraged to visit in.gov/dwd/job-seekers.