Bryce Mayer, North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun
Jennings County's unemployment rate rose slightly in March according to the monthly employment report released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
The county's unemployment rate for the month was listed at 6.9 percent, up from 6.8 percent in February.
The county had a labor force of 13,671 in March with 12,732 employed and 939 unemployed.
Jennings is tied for the 19th highest unemployment rate among Indiana's 92 counties. Fayette County tops the state with a 10.9 percent unemployment rate while Hamilton and Davies counties share the low at 3.6 percent.
Statewide, the average for March was 5.1 percent. That is the same as the national rate.
The economic downturn in the region is evident when current unemployment rates are compared to those of one year ago. In March 2007, 5.7 percent of the Jennings County workforce was unemployed.
All six of the adjoining counties have unemployment rates higher than one year ago, too. Except for Ripley County, all rates also were above last month's.
The March 2008 unemployment rates for the surrounding counties were Bartholomew at 4.6 percent, Jackson at 4.8 percent, Decatur at 5.8 percent, Jefferson at 5.8 percent, Ripley at 6.3 percent and Scott at 6.5 percent.
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