Johnson County’s unemployment rate improved in February, but has likely changed direction since then.
The county’s jobless rate fell to 2.6% from 2.9% in January. It was still higher than the 2.4% rate to end 2019, but well below the state average of 3.4%. Out of 92 Indiana counties, just eight had lower unemployment rates than Johnson County in February.
Johnson County also showed an improved unemployment rate compared to the same time last year, when 3.4% of work-eligible residents did not have a job.
Overall, more than 81,300 Johnson County residents were employed in February, compared to fewer than 2,200 who were unemployed.
The data comes from the monthly report released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which tracks employment statistics.
Four counties tied for the lowest jobless rate at 2.4%, including two other central Indiana counties: Boone and Hamilton. The highest unemployment rate in February belonged to Crawford County in southern Indiana, with 5.6% of its workforce without jobs.
The unemployment rate likely rose significantly in March.
During a one-week period in March, about 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, shattering the previous record of about 695,000 in October 1982, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Unemployment insurance claims surged to 120,331 last week in Indiana, up from just 2,312 two weeks ago, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Department of Workforce Development.
The new figure more than doubled last week’s claims. The numbers are skyrocketing as thousands of people lose their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.
