Private-sector jobs reach 2.6 million, as state’s unemployment rate falls to 4.7 percent

press release

Indianapolis

Indiana’s unemployment rate fell again in July, to 4.7 percent, as the number of people with private-sector jobs in the state climbed to a historic high.

Total private employment in Indiana has swelled to 2,614,800, the state Department of Workforce Development said Friday. That’s more than 2,000 jobs above the former all-time peak set in March 2000, the department said.

The state has seen a sustained run of hiring over the past 12 months, with private employment growing by 59,800.

The hiring binge has steadily pushed down the jobless rate, which stood at 5.8 percent a year ago and has now fallen to 4.7 percent. The jobless rate hasn’t been that low since November 2007, just before the start of the recession.

Unemployment insurance claims are at their lowest levels since 1999.

Indiana’s unemployment rate is now significantly lower than the national rate of 5.3 percent and the rates in all surrounding states. The next-lowest rate in a neighboring state is Ohio, at 5 percent.

In a statement, Gov. Mike Pence called the record high private sector job number an “achievement (that) belongs to the hardworking people of Indiana and to the businesses large and small, whose hard work and ingenuity achieved this historic milestone.”

Pence said his administration has “made job creation job one and aimed to get more Hoosiers working than ever before by 2016. … We cut taxes for working families and job creators. We cut government red tape. We signed honestly balanced budgets that hold the line on spending while making significant investments in education, infrastructure and our workforce.”

Indiana, however, continues to lag in wages and economic growth.

Indiana’s economic output made some of the smallest gains in the country last year, growing only 0.4 percent. That was among the weakest growth rates among the states and far under the nation’s growth rate of 2.2 percent.

Hourly wages in Indiana also dipped by 0.2 percent last year when adjusted for inflation, while U.S. hourly earnings rose by 1.3 percent. That suggests that while Indiana is creating new jobs, they are relatively low-wage ones.

Median household income in the state remains below its pre-recession level.

Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com

A man serving a 10-year sentence for dealing in methamphetamine, neglect of a dependent and maintaining a common nuisance is being given the opportunity to show he has changed.

The Indiana Supreme Court has overturned the trial court’s order terminating the parent-child relationship between J.E. and his son K.E. The five justices noted the state’s courts have upheld the parental rights of incarcerated parents.

“We are persuaded that there was insufficient evidence to support a reasonable probability that the conditions resulting in removal will not be remedied or that Father poses a threat to K.E.’s well-being,” Justice Steven David wrote for the court. “As to both, either the record does not support the findings or the findings do not support the trial court’s conclusions. Thus, the order terminating Father’s parental rights was clearly erroneous.”

In June 2014, the Vanderburgh Superior Court terminated J.E.’s parental rights, concluding the conditions that resulted in the child’s removal would likely not be remedied and that the continuation of the parent-child relationship could pose a threat to K.E.’s well-being. A split Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed in a memorandum decision with Judge John Baker dissenting.

Baker’s dissent was echoed in the Supreme Court’s opinion. The justices pointed to the number of classes and programs J.E. has completed while in prison to improve his parenting skills and address his addiction issues. Also, he has bonded with K.E. through nightly phone calls and regular visitation.

“Given the substantial efforts that Father is making to improve his life by learning to become a better parent, establishing a relationship with K.E. … and attending substance abuse classes, it was not proven by clear and convincing evidence that Father could not remedy the conditions for K.E’s removal,” David wrote.

In addition, J.E.’s work behind bars also convinced the Supreme Court he did not pose a threat to his son.

“…Father has pursued every avenue possible to complete programs to better prepare himself for parenthood and a drug-free lifestyle after being released,” David wrote. “Father’s interactions with K.E. are healthy and the two have bonded. … this Court is not persuaded that Father’s past criminal history and drug abuse provided clear and convincing evidence that Father now poses a threat to K.E.’s well-being.”

The case is In Re the Involuntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of K.E., a Minor Child, and his Father, J.E., and His Mother, S.S., v. Indiana Department of Child Services, 82S04-1508-JT-491.