The number of workers in Bartholomew County filing initial jobless claims dipped into the double-digits last week for the first time since the pandemic took hold in March.
Last week, 90 Bartholomew County workers filed unemployment claims, down from 104 the previous weeks and 1,845 the week ending April 11, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
The last time there were fewer than 100 initial unemployment claims in Bartholomew County was the week ending March 14, when 17 workers filed claims.
Despite the decline, initial claims are still higher than they have been over the past few years. From January 2016 to December 2019, the number of weekly initial jobless claims in Bartholomew County ranged from 11 to 68.
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Additionally, a total of 1,298 local workers were receiving unemployment benefits as of the week ending Sept. 12, down from 1,387 the week before and 5,039 the week ending May 2, according to the latest state figures.
By comparison, the average number of weekly continued jobless claims in Bartholomew County from January 2010 to January 2020 was 434, according to state figures. Last year, that number had dropped to 127.
In Indiana, 12,416 workers filed unemployment claims, down from 13,245 the week before. A total of 157,876 Hoosier workers were receiving unemployment aid as of the week ending Sept. 12, down from 164,615 the week prior.
The latest round of jobless data from the state came as the federal government reported that the number of unemployment claims across the country last week held relatively steady, ticking up to 870,000 compared to 866,000 the week before.
Until the pandemic upended the operations of U.S. companies this past spring, weekly jobless aid applications had never exceeded 700,000 in the U.S., according to The Associated Press. They’ve topped 700,000 for 27 consecutive weeks.
Last week, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported that the state’s unemployment rate in August dropped to 6.5%, down from 7.9% in July and 17.1% in April.
On Monday, state officials announced that Bartholomew County’s unemployment rate had followed a similar pattern last month, falling to 5.4% in August, down from 6.8% in July and 18.4% in April.
In August 2019, Bartholomew County’s unemployment rate was 3.2%, the lowest among Indiana’s 92 counties.
