INDIANAPOLIS — Unemployment in Bartholomew County ticked down slightly in March, mirroring trends seen across the state and country, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Monday.
Last month, the jobless rate in Bartholomew County was 3.8%, down from 3.9% in February.
By comparison, U.S. unemployment was 6% in March, down from 6.2% in February, and the jobless rate in Indiana ticked down 0.1% to 3.9% last month.
Though unemployment in Bartholomew County was 1.1% higher than a year ago, it is still considerably lower than a year ago this month when the county’s jobless rate soared to 17.2%.
However, initial unemployment claims in the county have recently spiked, according to state records.
There were 816 initial jobless claims filed in Bartholomew County the week ending April 10, up from 127 the week before and significantly higher than at any point before the pandemic, according to state records.
An average of 29 workers in Bartholomew County filed initial unemployment claims from 2015 to 2019, and the total number of workers drawing unemployment benefits never exceeded 398 during any week over the same time period.
Jason Hester, president of the Columbus Area Economic Development Corp., said he was unaware of any major layoffs of business closures in Bartholomew County.
Scott Olson, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, said the spike is likely due to a “Quarter Change,” which is when claimants needed to reapply for unemployment to continue receiving federal benefits through September.
“The previous extension expired in March,” Olson said.
The announcement from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development came days after the federal government reported that unemployment benefits tumbled to 576,000 the week ending April 11, a post-COVID low and a sign that layoffs are easing, The Associated Press reported.
Additionally, sales at retail stores and restaurants rose 9.8% in March, the biggest gain since last May, when the economy first started to rebound from the virus’ initial blow, according to wire reports. With U.S. household savings high, economists are optimistic that the faster spending is sustainable.
The pace of weekly applications for unemployment aid is now down significantly from a peak of 900,000 in early January and has dropped below the 700,000-plus level where it had been stuck for months, according to wire reports.
Locally, manufacturers in Bartholomew County “continue to fire on all cylinders” and have been looking for workers over the last several months, Hester said.
