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Putnam still in middle of state jobless rankings

Monday, April 26, 2021

For the second straight month, the Putnam County jobless rate has landed right smack dab in the middle of the pack in the latest round of Indiana unemployment figures.

Following local jobless figures as high as 11.3 percent last May and 10.0 in June, Putnam numbers have recently settled into a more normal unemployment pattern with the county posting a 4.2 percent figure for March, according to the latest totals compiled by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. A 3.9 jobless percent figure last November was Putnam County’s best showing in recent months.

The 4.2 percent figure means the county is nearly at what is considered full employment. Industry experts suggest that 4.0 percent can be considered full employment since that number is most often comprised of the chronic unemployed -- those who couldn’t pass a drug screen to secure a job, those with transportation issues or parents who have child-care difficulties.

The latest jobless numbers find Putnam County’s ranking right at the halfway mark of Indiana’s 92 counties, tying with four other counties -- Parke, Perry, Noble and Fountain -- for 46th-best among the 92 Hoosier counties.

That’s quite a nice climb since last summer, when at the height of COVID, back in June, a 10.0 unemployment figure had lumped Putnam County among 51 Indiana counties suffering double-digit jobless rates. Since last July, however, no Indiana county has posted a double-digit jobless figure.

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 4.7 percent for March with the national rate at 6.2 percent. The monthly jobless rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicator that reflects the number of unemployed persons seeking employment within the previous four weeks as a percentage of the labor force.

The latest Putnam number ranks ahead of three contiguous counties -- Parke (4.3 percent), Clay (4.8) and Owen (5.0) -- with Hendricks (3.5 percent, tied for 13th best in the state), Montgomery (tied 17th best in the state at 3.6) and Morgan (3.9, tied for 32nd) all posting better jobless figures than Putnam for the month.

Among the seven west-central Indiana counties for March, Putnam ranks ahead of Parke (4.3 percent), Clay (4.8), Owen (5.0), Sullivan (5.0),Vigo (5.6) and Vermilion (5.7).

Overall, Indiana’s top 10 best jobless ratings for March are: 1. LaGrange, Daviess and Adams (3.0 percent), 4. Boone and Hamilton (3.1), 5. Tipton (3.2), 6. Martin (3.3), 7. White, Wells, Union, Gibson and Dubois (all 3.4).

Meanwhile, the bottom 10 unemployment figures among Hoosier counties for March are: 1. Lake (7.6 percent), 2. LaPorte (6.7), 3. Howard (6.0), 4. Fayette (5.9), 5. Orange (5.7), 6. Vermilion (5.7), 7. Marion (5.6), 8.Vigo (5.6), 9. Starke (5.5), 10. Madison (5.4).

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  • How can this be when there are “Now Hiring” signs all over

    Putnam County? Free $$ is not always good

    -- Posted by bidman1975 on Tue, Apr 27, 2021, at 10:25 AM

  • Agree! Plenty of jobs!

    -- Posted by hometowngirl626 on Tue, Apr 27, 2021, at 10:42 AM

  • Yeah plenty of jobs as long as you dont have any debt and live at home with your parents. Most people cant make a living on $8-$10 per hour.

    -- Posted by BJCP96 on Tue, Apr 27, 2021, at 2:55 PM

  • Heartland and Chiyoda employees are currently laid off. Most of the help wanted signs are for restaurants...and most adults can't live on what they pay.

    -- Posted by kmccalister77 on Tue, Apr 27, 2021, at 5:11 PM

  • Even if the pay is low one could at least take that job until something better came along. Most people think they are too good to take a low paid job. Anything is better than nothing!! Or they are afraid they’ll lose their food stamps and unemployment. Lazy lazy people would rather gripe and complain instead of going out and looking for work.

    -- Posted by Nit on Tue, Apr 27, 2021, at 8:05 PM

  • Lol. Nobody said anything about being too good for those jobs. I'm not sure why people are so judgemental here, but if you work at either of those factories, you likely make less in unemployment than if you worked a normal week. Not to mention the fact that to qualify for food stamps, you have to make basically nothing.

    -- Posted by kmccalister77 on Thu, Apr 29, 2021, at 11:19 AM

  • Did any of you people even read the article??? "The 4.2 percent figure means the county is nearly at what is considered full employment. Industry experts suggest that 4.0 percent can be considered full employment since that number is most often comprised of the chronic unemployed -- those who couldn’t pass a drug screen to secure a job, those with transportation issues or parents who have child-care difficulties." There are a lot of job openings for not-great jobs. Unemployment pays only 47% of your previous income, with a MAX of $390 per week. NO ONE IS LIVING LARGE ON UNEMPLOYMENT.

    -- Posted by unbiased on Thu, Apr 29, 2021, at 6:32 PM

  • I could be wrong but I think the ceiling for earnings to qualify for food stamps is around 35,000 for a family of four.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, May 3, 2021, at 8:59 AM
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