[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/lak...6d50cac809.html

Unemployment in the Michigan City metro area, which is just LaPorte County, also increased to 5.6 percent in December, up from 5.1 percent in November.

The jobless rate in the Gary metro was down 0.7 percent as compared to the same time a year ago, while unemployment has fallen 0.8 percent year-over-year in the Michigan City metro.

Both the Gary and Michigan City metropolitan areas trail behind statewide and national jobless levels. Indiana had an unemployment rate of 4 percent in December, while it was 4.7 percent nationally. Joblessness in Illinois rose 0.1 percent to 5.7 percent in December, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

[Mike D]

The labor market in Laporte county is very competitive and is likely to stay that way for the immediate future. As I observe labor movements from the inside and out, it is apparent that most employers are now coming around to this fact - invest in your employees or lose them. Basic job functions and semi-skilled are now starting in the $12-$18/hour range, something un heard of 10 years ago, when just about everything was minimum wage. Even the temp agencies are increasing to minimum $9/hour. Though the ACA maybe on the ropes, politically, it set off a storm among local employers to start offering health care. For many years following the ACA's passage, the number one questions among applicants was, "Do you offer health care?", mainly because most applicants were part of larger families or had pre-existing conditions. Now nearly all Laporte county business offer health care and at reasonable rates that are now pre-tax.

Elwood Staffing recently purchased Swanson Staffing which should also tell you what's going on locally in terms of value. Spartan Staffing is also making some in-roads. Employers are making the temp business less attractive by hiring and keeping their employees for the longer term.

Here are the numbers (from Business Indiana):
2014 2015 2016
Labor Force 48673 47673 48806
Employed 45392 45495 45623
Unemployed 3281 2444 3183

I believe the numbers are directly related to the number of good paying jobs in the area. The workforce has increased primarily due to the housing units up which are affordable and the number of HS graduates staying here. The unemployment rate may not mean much if that is true - and it will decline.

The two big threats to area employment are disability claims (let's see what your man Trump does about that) and higher paying jobs elsewhere. Did you know that disability claims are now the larger part of the SSN budget? You can hear the employees telling each other what works and what doesn't - it is criminal. For example, if you get a stent - its almost automatic for a disability claim if you are in manufacturing. Skin aliment - check the box if you are in health care. The list goes on.

High paying jobs is what keeps our housing costs low but also unable to appreciate. Most houses are not appreciating much at all since the fall, even though prices did not fall as much as other areas. Still, this keep the tax base down and the pressure on schools and roads on. Porter and Lake still get the high paying jobs - and it isn't necessarily all because of their proximity to Chicago - it is about education. That's why the Promise Scholarship is so important.

Overall, the situation is very healthy, with job addition likely for the next several years barring some black swam flying in from Washington.