Mike Wolanin | The Republic The exterior of The Commons with the Bartholomew County Courthouse pictured in the background in downtown Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Unemployment in Bartholomew County ticked up in March but remained among the lowest in Indiana as the U.S. economy seems to be showing some signs of softening.
The jobless rate in Bartholomew County stood at 3% in March, tied for seventh lowest in the state and up from 2.6% in March 2022, according to figures released this week by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Unemployment in Indiana was a seasonally adjusted 3.1% in March, up from 2.8% in March 2022. U.S. unemployment was a seasonally adjusted 3.5% last month, down slightly from 3.6% in March 2022.
In Jackson County, unemployment was 2.9% in March, unchanged from a year earlier, while the jobless rate in Jennings County last month was 4.2%, up from 3.7% in March 2022.
U.S. applications for jobless benefits rose to their highest level in more than a year, but remain at relatively low levels despite efforts by the Federal Reserve to cool the economy and job market in its battle against inflation, The Associated Press reported.
Jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending April 8 rose by 11,000 to 239,000 from the previous week, according to figure from the Labor Department. That’s the most since January of 2022 when 251,000 people filed for unemployment benefits.
The four-week moving average of claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week fluctuations, rose by 2,250 to 240,000. That’s the most since November of 2021.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
