Bryce Mayer, North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun
Jennings County's unemployment rate raised slightly to 6.4 percent for June. So did unemployment rates for surrounding counties and all of Indiana, according to information released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Experts say that the slumping state of the national economy, auto industries' layoffs and a construction slowdown caused by recent flooding in the state are major reasons why Indiana experienced the nation's largest unemployment gain in June.
"What affects others in the Southern Indiana region also affects us here in Jennings County," said Kathy Ertel, Jennings County Economic Development Commission director. "The nation is in a general economic slump, too. Everyone is feeling the pain."
Of Jennings County's estimated labor force of 14,144 individuals, 13,233 were employed and 911 unemployed in June.
In May, Jennings County's unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. One year ago, in June 2007, the local unemployment rate was 4.8 percent.
"Everyone seems to be tightening their belts, and not just individuals," Ertel said. "We are all experiencing higher prices at the gas pumps and grocery stores. People are being more cautious, and so are the companies that provide jobs."
For last month, Jennings ranks 29th in unemployment rate among Indiana's 92 counties. The highest is Fayette County at 11.5 percent with Hamilton and Dubois the lowest, both at 4.0 percent.
Statewide, the unemployment rate is 5.8 percent, up from 5.1 percent in May.
Of neighboring counties, Scott County is highest at 6.6 percent, up from 5.9 percent in May, followed by Decatur at 6.2 percent (5.2 percent in May), Jefferson County at 5.9 percent (4.9 percent in May), Ripley County at 5.8 percent (5.3 percent in May), Jackson County at 5.3 percent (4.7 percent in May) and Bartholomew County at 4.9 percent (4.0 percent in May).
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