Indiana jobless rate remains steady for 6th month as it goes up slightly to 9.9 pct for March

Ind. jobless rate inches up to 9.9 pct in March

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s unemployment rate remained nearly unchanged for the sixth straight month as it increased slightly to 9.9 percent for March.

Figures released Friday by the state Department of Workforce Development show the jobless rate rose by 0.1 percentage point from February’s 9.8 percent. The agency says the state’s total number of jobs grew by 16,600, but that the number of those seeking jobs grew faster as about 330,000 people were unemployed in March.

Indiana’s jobless rate has been just below 10 percent since October after peaking at 10.6 percent last June.

The March unemployment rates for neighboring states ranged from 10.7 percent in Kentucky to 14.1 percent in Michigan.