Starke and Pulaski counties’ unemployment rates moved closer to pre-pandemic levels last month.
Starke County’s March unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, down from 6.1 percent the month before, according to the latest report from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Pulaski County’s rate dipped from 4.2 to 4.1. That leaves both counties two-tenths of a percent higher than in March of 2020, the last reporting period before the full impact of COVID-19.
But while the rates dropped month-to-month, so did the number of residents working. Starke County saw about 20 fewer residents employed last month than the month before, while Pulaski County’s decline was over 50, as residents continue leaving the labor force.
The state as a whole had a non-seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate of 4.7 percent, while the national rate dipped to 6.2 percent.
