By TJ HEMLINGER, Columbia City Post & Mail staff writer
Unemployment in Whitley County for June showed an increase over May, but the county still is slightly below the statewide average, statistics from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development show.
The unemployment rate in June was 5.6 percent, and the statewide average was 5.8 percent. In May the local figure was 5.1 percent, exactly the same as the state figure.
The June data place Whitley County in the bottom half of Indiana's 92 counties. Whitley County ranked 61st. Fayette County ranked first with an unemployment rate of 11.5 percent. Hamilton County was the lowest at 4.0 percent.
Whitley County is better off than each of the surrounding counties. Noble County is 18th at 7.0 percent; Kosciusko County is 46th at 5.9 percent; Huntington County is 48th at 5.8 percent; and Allen County is 53rd at 5.7 percent.
Indiana's unemployment rate remains lower than neighboring states, according to the latest monthly employment report by the DWD.
In June, Indiana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. The unemployment rates in Michigan is 8.5 percent, followed by Illinois and Ohio at 6.8 percent and Kentucky at 6.3 percent.
The national unemployment rate is 5.5 percent.
"Indiana's economy is being adversely affected by declining demand in the domestic auto and RV industries," Teresa Voors, DWD commissioner, said. "In addition, heavy June rains and flooding undoubtedly slowed activity in the construction sector.
"On the positive side, employment in the tourism and travel sectors has seen strong growth."
Alan Tio, president of the Whitley County Economic Development Corp., said some automotive companies have had slowdowns and temporary layoffs, but he noted that Whitley Manufacturing, C&A Tool, 80/20 and Indiana Metal Products all are hiring.
"Our economy here in Whitley County is very strong," Tio said. "We have a lot of great companies hiring. We're trying to match skills and make sure people have the right training.
"Whitley County is part of the northeast Indiana labor force, which is very deep, very broad. We have 325,000 people working within 30 miles. We have great partners in the high schools with their internship programs, and colleges are emphasizing manufacturing and high-tech skills."