January unemployment picture improved from year ago

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development has released its January 2014 Unemployment Report. According to their data, the unemployment rate for Huntington County stood at 6.3%, significantly better than the 9.4% rate from the same time last year. 

It is important to remember that this report covers the period December 11, 2013 – January 10, 2014. Seasonal employment over the holiday season significantly impacts this data.

The total number in the workforce is up as workers and employers entered and exited during the temporary shifts in the retail industry over the holidays and the industrial sector slowed a little to reflect year-end inventory and other holiday scheduling.  According to the Community Research Institute of IPFW, if you factor out the seasonal data, the unemployment rate for Huntington County would have been 5.9%.

"Generally, we’re seeing stability in the employment picture for the time period covered by the report," said Mark Wickersham, executive director, Huntington County Economic Development.  "We continue below the statewide average and improved 4 positions in the county-by-county ranking compared to December 2013. Also, the situation is clearly better than June 2009 when our rate was 14.3%.

"The statistics are a reflection of the hard work and commitment of all of our employers and the economic development community in our county," he concluded.