Indiana unemployment rate drops slightly in February
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana’s unemployment rate dropped from 2.4% in January to 2.3% in February, much lower than the 3.8% nationwide unemployment figure.
“I feel like the momentum is carrying over to having an easier time staffing than a year ago,” Darrell Casmier, Manager at the District Tap in Downtown Indianapolis said.
Not every restaurant is having the same success at hiring help.
Downtown Olly’s manager Adam Goble said his indoor dining area is minimally staffed, and he has to worry about opening up the patio which seats 120 people.
“We’re putting out ads, we’re looking for employees, so many places are. Everybody’s patio is gearing up to open.”
The Department of Workforce Development says Indiana added almost 10,800 private sector jobs in February alone.
The increases show up in the following categories:
- Professional & Business Services (5.400 jobs)
- Trade, Transportation & Utilities (2,900 jobs)
- Financial Activities (1,500 jobs)
- Construction (1,200 jobs)
Goble believes the job gains aren’t showing up in the service industry because many workers chose a different career path post-COVID.
“We don’t have a lot of our veterans who knew the drill, so we are forced to hire a lot of people who are younger and a lot more green, which makes for much more intensive training programs,” he said.
DWD estimates of the 6,805,985 people living in Indiana, 1,898,800 of them are not seeking work and not in the workforce.