Local unemployment differs from national four year high

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.— A new national jobs report released Tuesday shows job growth slowing significantly after a data collection delay caused by the government shutdown, raising questions about the strength of the US labor market.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added just 64,000 jobs in November, marking a sharp decline from the 2023 average of 251,000 job additions per month.

The national unemployment rate also rose to a four-year high of 4.6 percent, up from 4.4 percent in September.

While the first round of new numbers following the shutdown paints a concerning picture nationally, the story looks different in St. Joseph County.

“I don’t think anything that has us ready to sound the alarms, we control what we can,” said Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Rea said that while many Americans are reacting negatively to the national report due to the sharp slowdown in job creation, local employment data remains stronger.

“Overall, I think folks haven’t been as positive about this because the number of new jobs happening across the U.S. is significantly lower than it’s been in recent years and on average, but for us, we’re also looking at local numbers too. Those weren’t in today’s report, and our local numbers have been much better. Our unemployment claims have actually been ahead of last year fewer claims than last year,” said Rea.

According to the chamber, both initial and continued unemployment claims in St. Joseph County are down compared to this time last year, and more people are working in the county than ever before.

“Historically we’ve been the opposite when the U.S. had a good report, ours wasn’t as good. Now the pendulum has swung a little bit the other way where the national report isn’t as good, locally the report is better,” he said.

While the region has seen strong job announcements and major investments across industries over the past decade, Rea said wages are still struggling to keep up with inflation.

The chamber hopes to continue attracting higher-paying jobs while also drawing more workers to the area.

“We have to attract as well too, so we need some new jobs, we’ve had some success from AWS, from GM, Microsoft, some of those which will add some jobs at a higher wage, some major capital investment. I know there’s been some resistance to those, and I get it. But I’m not suggesting all development is good development. We have to, as a community, find the balance,” he added.

Rea acknowledged St. Joseph County is not immune to national economic trends and said future reports will help provide a clearer picture of the local labor market heading into 2026.

The next national jobs report is scheduled for release Friday, January 9.