By Dan Shaw, Evansville Courier & Press
Vanderburgh County's unemployment rate hit 8 percent in January, the highest it has been in at least 20 years.
The number of unemployed county residents went from 5,754 to 7,221 between December and January, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 89,768 workers in the labor force in January.
Although job cuts aren't as common here as in other parts of the country, they haven't been avoided completely. Among the local companies which have announced layoffs in recent times are: Accuride, SABIC, Whirlpool, Alcoa, the Courier & Press, suppliers of Toyota's plant in Princeton and other parts manufacturers for other automobile companies.
Still, the Tri-State region has been fortunate in that some of its largest employers have been among the most stable. Toyota, despite a moribund demand for automobiles, has avoided laying off employees in Princeton, although it recently said it would offer them buyouts and cut their pay as a way of saving money.
For all of Indiana, the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in January, the highest monthly mark recorded in the state since the recession of the early 1980s.
State officials mentioned several reasons for the rate, citing a decline in manufacturing and a greater than normal loss of retail jobs after the holiday shopping season.
Nearly 320,000 Indiana residents were unemployed in January. Elkhart County had an 18.3 percent jobless rate, the highest in the state.
Elsewhere in Southwestern Indiana, Posey County had a rate of 8 percent, Gibson County of 9.3 percent, Warrick County of 7.8 percent, Pike County of 9.5 percent, Knox County of 7.7 percent and Spencer County of 9.2 percent.
Federal figures show that Indiana's revised December unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. It was first reported at 8.1 percent.
The national unemployment rate for January was 7.6 percent. Figures released Friday show that jumped to 8.1 percent in February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.