Unemployment in Bartholomew County declined last month from a year ago and was below state and national rates but slightly higher than some neighboring counties.
The jobless rate in Bartholomew County stood at 3.2% in May, down from 3.9% in May 2024, according to figures released this week by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Unemployment also declined from 3.5% to 3% in Jackson County and 3.3% to 3.1% in Jennings County over the same period.
Statewide, the unemployment rate was a seasonally adjusted 3.7% in May, down from 4.1% a year earlier. The U.S. jobless rate was a seasonally adjusted 4.2% last month, up from 4% in May 2024.
The update from state officials comes about a week after the Labor Department reported that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dipped to 245,000 the week ending June 14, hovering at historically low levels, The Associated Press reported.
U.S. jobless claims ticked down from 250,000 the week before. Economists had expected last week’s claims to match that at 250,000, according to wire reports.
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose to 245,500, the highest since August 2023.
The number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits the week of June 7 slid to 1.95 million.
Weekly unemployment claim are a proxy for layoffs and mostly have stayed within a healthy band of 200,000 to 250,000 since the economy recovered from a brief but painful COVID-19 recession in 2020, which temporarily wiped out millions of jobs, according to wire reports.
In recent weeks, however, claims have stayed at the high end of range, adding to evidence that U.S. job market is decelerating after years of strong hiring. So far this year, employers are adding a decent but far from spectacular 124,000 jobs a month, down from an average 168,000 last year and an average of nearly 400,000 from 2021 through 2023.
In Bartholomew County, 21 workers filed initial unemployment claims the week ending June 14, down from 31 the week before, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
A total of 150 local workers filed continued jobless claims the week ending June 7, down from 152 the previous week, according to the most recent data.
The hiring slowdown is partly the drawn-out result of 11 interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023, according to wire reports. But President Donald Trump’s aggressive and often-erratic trade policies — including 10% taxes on imports from almost every country on earth — are also weighing on the economy, paralyzing businesses and worrying consumers who fear they’ll mean higher prices.
The Fed, satisfied that an inflation was coming down, cut rates three times last year. But the central bank has turned cautious in 2025, worried that Trump’s tariffs will rekindle inflationary pressures.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
