Indiana‘s unemployment rate jumped in January to its highest level in 13 months. Some state officials though are questioning how the federal government came up with the number.
The Department of Labor shows Indiana with a jobless rate of eight-point-six-percent, up three-tenths of a point from December.
Indiana Workforce Development Commissioner Scott Sanders explains that figure comes from the government‘s survey of a sample of households nationwide. The Feds also survey employers to produce a second count of the number of jobs. Sanders argues that figure should always be lower, because it doesn‘t count agricultural workers, the self-employed, or people on temporary unpaid leave.
Those numbers - state officials say - have been backwards for nearly a year.
Governor Pence said Monday - no matter how you calculate it - unemployment is still too high.
No matter how you calculate the figures, the Department of Workforce Development says unemployment in Gibson County last month stood at 8.4 percent.