Huntington County Unemployment Rate Improves in December
January 26, 2011
January 26, 2011 Huntington, Indiana
Huntington County Unemployment Rate Improves in December of 2010
According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the December 2010 unemployment rate for Huntington County dropped to 9.6% from 11.0% reported for November 2010. The 1.4% improvement was the largest one month gain reported during 2010. It comes however, on the heels of the largest one month increase in unemployment in nearly 15 months. The December 2010 rate of 9.6% has improved 4.7% from the County’s peak of 14.3% in June of 2009 at the height of the recession. The December 2010 rate is slightly higher than the State-wide average of 9.1% and equal to the Northeast Indiana Regional average of 9.6%.
“The November 2010 rate appeared to have been artificially high as a result of a temporary, one-week shut-down at the Fort Wayne GM Assembly Plant,” said Mark Wickersham, Executive Director of Huntington County Economic Development. “I believe the December 2010 numbers, which are almost identical to the October 2010 report, confirm a couple of things; first, the November report was a statistical anomaly, and second, that the general employment picture for Huntington County residents has improved significantly since the height of the recession,” he added.
It is important to note that the State’s unemployment statistics are based on the worker’s County of residence, not the County of employment. The State’s report also includes the following disclaimer, “These estimates are prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and have been adjusted to the current population survey for use in allocating federal funds. Because of regular fluctuations in month to month changes, the reader should use caution when viewing these estimates as indicators of economic change.”
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