Indiana jobless rate rose to 8.5 percent in July

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - State officials say Indiana's unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent in July, continuing a recent rise as thousands of workers lost their jobs.

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Friday that 8.5 percent of the state workforce, or about 270,000 people, applied for unemployment benefits in July. The state's unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in June and 8.2 percent in May.

July's national unemployment rate was 9.1 percent.

Indiana's unemployment rate peaked at 10.6 percent in June 2009 and has been below double digits since last October.

State officials say the state's manufacturing sector added 2,900 jobs last month. The transportation and utilities sector shed 2,800 jobs, while the construction industry lost 2,500 jobs and the private education and health care sectors lost 2,200 jobs.