More Hoosiers are working than ever before, as Indiana ended 2018 by reporting record employment numbers for the year and job gains in every major sector measured by the state.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported on Jan. 18 that the total number of employed Hoosiers in December preliminarily reached 3,284,190, while private employment hit 2,731,600—both new highs for the state. Total preliminary private employment in 2018 grew by 42,700 people from the previous peak in December 2017, according to DWD. Dating back to July 2009, Indiana has gained 408,400 private jobs since state employment bottomed out during the recession.
Indiana’s unemployment rate last month remained at 3.6 percent and lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent.
Looking at county numbers, Dubois County has the 2nd lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.4% only Tipton County is better at 2.3%. Gibson County is at 2.5%, Daviess and Martin are at 2.7%, Knox stands at 3.3%, Pike at 3.5%, Greene is at 4.8%
As part of the governor’s NextLevel Jobs initiative, more than 10,000 Hoosiers last year enrolled in high-wage, high-demand Workforce Ready Grant programs at Ivy Tech Community College, Vincennes University or local training providers. Also, more than 450 Hoosier employers are training nearly 7,000 workers under the Employer Training Grant program.