Indiana Unemployment Creeps Higher in August

Indiana's unemployment rate inched higher in August but remains below the national average.

The state Department of Workforce Development said Friday that the Indiana jobless rate increased from 8.5 percent in July to 8.7 percent, with about 274,000 people seeking work last month. Workforce Development commissioner Mark Everson says that revised numbers from July helped offset some that downturn.

The national unemployment rate is 9.1 percent.

The state agency says growth in construction and government employment last month wasn't enough to offset job losses in manufacturing, transportation and other sectors.

Indiana's jobless rate is still significantly lower than a year ago, when it stood at 10 percent. Indiana's rate is also slightly lower than rates in neighboring Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.