Indiana April unemployment rate hits 10%; Michigan and Nevada unemployment highest in nation

On May 21, 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced state and regional unemployment rates for April, 2010. The BLS reported that the unemployment rate in 38 states increased from April 2009.  Michigan, at 14% unemployment, continues to have the nationa’s highest unemployment rate.

Indiana and surrounding states

The unemployment rate for Indiana reached 10% over 9.9% in March. Indiana’s unemployment rate has steadily risen since the beginning of 2010.

Teresa Voors, the head of Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development announced that Indiana added 22,700 jobs in April and 41,800 jobs since the beginning of the year.  Voors explained that Indiana’s increased unemployment rate demonstrated that more persons were returning to the labor market, i.e. actively looking for full-time work.

The unemployment rate does not include “discouraged” workers, who have stopped looking for a job. The unemployment rate does not include persons “marginally attached” to the labor market.  In other words, the previously uncounted unemployed - Americans considered discouraged workers or marginally attached workers – are applying again for jobs.  Now these same people are counted as unemployed for statistical purposes.

The unemployment rates for Indiana and its neighbors is shown below:

             April 2009   March 2010   April 2010 Monthly Change  Yearly Change

Indiana     10.5%          9.9%             10.0%        0.1% -                   0.5%
U.S.          8.9%           9.7%             9.9%         0.2%                    1.0%
Illinois      9.6%         11.5%             11.2% -     0.3%                     1.6%
Kentucky 10.4%       10.7%             10.6% -      0.1%                     0.2%
Ohio        10.0%        11.0%            10.9% -      0.1%                     0.9%
Michigan  13.2%        14.1%            14.0% -      0.1%                     0.8%

Other States

• 
  Michigan continues to have the country’s highest unemployment rate.
• It is followed by Nevada at 13.7% and California at 12.6% unemployment.
• 
  North and South Dakota continue to have the nation’s lowest unemployment rates in the country.

Stay Tuned: Is Tier V Dead?  As June 2nd deadline approaches, will Congress extend the current federal emergency unemployment compensation program?

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