Joblessness in Northwest Indiana rose again in December, while the region continued to have some of the highest unemployment in a state that has one of the highest unemployment rates in the Midwest.
The jobless rate in the Gary metropolitan area — which includes Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper counties — rose to 7.8 percent in December, up from 7.4 percent in November, though it was down from 8 percent a year earlier. Joblessness in the Michigan City metro, which is only LaPorte County, surged to 8 percent, up from 7.5 percent in November, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
The local unemployment data were not adjusted for seasonal employment variations, such as declines in sectors like construction and hospitality. Jobs disappear at golf courses, marinas, summer camps and other seasonal businesses in the winter months.
In December, five of the top 10 counties with the highest joblessness in the state were in Northwest Indiana, Lake County had an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, the highest out of all 92 counties in Indiana. LaPorte had the fourth highest rate of 8 percent, Jasper was sixth with 7.9 percent, Newton finished seventh with 7.5 percent and Starke was 10th with 7.2 percent.
Unemployment rose in East Chicago, Michigan City, Hobart, Hammond, Portage, and Merrillville in December. The steepest increase was in Michigan City, where joblessness rose 0.9 percentage points to 11.8 percent, which was the highest rate for any city. The jobless rate was unchanged in December in Crown Point and Valparaiso, while it ticked down in Gary and Schererville.
Statewide, Indiana's jobless rate rose to 5.8 percent, the first time it has exceeded the national average in a year. Indiana continued to have the third-highest jobless rate in the Midwest, lower only than Michigan and Illinois.