Employment Grows In Indiana; DWD Says Federal Numbers Don’t Add Up

Hoosier employers have continued to grow their workforces for the tenth month in a row, once again adding jobs in Indiana to the tune of 7200 private sector jobs. The rate of job growth in Indiana triped the national average of 0.1 percent, and since July 2009, the low point of employment, Indiana has added more than 150,000 private sector jobs.

The areas with the most significant gains for the month of August were Private Educational and Health Services with 5200 jobs added and Construction with 2200 jobs added.

However, for the third month in a row, Indiana received data from the U.S. Department of Labor that didn’t add up with the rate of job growth. According to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics data, over 66,000 Hoosiers went from gainfully employed to out of the labor force over three months, which is considerably higher than neighboring states. At the same time, the federal government’s payroll data shows Indiana private sector jobs increased by more than 11,000.

Commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development Scott B. Sanders says it’s obvious the numbers just don’t add up, and they’re forced to question the government’s data models. He noted that while the state’s unemployment rate increased 0.1 percent to 8.3 percent in August, Indiana still greatly outperforms the U.S. average for private sector job growth with 1.9 percent versus the 1.1 percent national average.