Kosciusko County is one of 10 counties in Indiana that had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state in December.
A report was released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. According to Indiana Department of Workforce Development statistics, Kosciusko County's 11-percent unemployment rate in December accounted for a 41,988 labor force with 37,349 people employed and 4,639 people unemployed.In November, the unemployment rate for Kosciusko County was 8.8 percent, with a labor force at 42,466 with 38,727 people being employed and 3,739 people being unemployed.
Kosciusko County came in with the ninth highest unemployment rate in December.
The other rates for December included LaGrange County at a 15.1 percent unemployment rate; Noble County at 13.9 percent; Fayette County at 12.6; Marshall at 12 percent; Lawrence at 11.6 percent; Starke at 11.5 percent; Steuben at 11.3 percent; and Vermillion at 11 percent.
Elkhart County, at 15.3 percent, had the highest unemployment rate in the state in December with a 104,321 workforce where 88,338 residents were employed and 15,983 people were unemployed.
Joy McCarthy-Sessing, Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce president, said 2008's unemployment rate for Kosciusko County was the highest she has seen since she has served as the chamber's president. She is beginning to serve her 12th year as the chamber's president.
"Historically, Kosciusko County's unemployment rate is lower than the state and national average," she said.
She said she has been talking to local businesses about ways that the chamber and Kosciusko Development Inc. can assist them. KDI is a county-wide economic development organization.
An option is assisting the companies in get training grants to help the companies get their employees the most recent training on modern equipment to keep them competitive.
If a company wants to expand, they are encouraged to ask for tax phase-ins on property taxes.
McCarthy-Sessing said after seeing Kosciusko County's unemployment rate in November at 8.8 percent, she thought it might increase in December.
"I was surprised to see it went up that much," McCarthy-Sessing said.
She said she thinks the RV industry layoffs have contributed to the increase in unemployment in Kosciusko County.
She said KDI is concentrated on keeping existing businesses in the county and growing them.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development has published a listing of 50 of the most needed jobs in Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties.
The number one job listed as needed in the counties is a network systems and data communications analyst. The other top four jobs, in order, include dental hygienists, registered nurses, computer software engineers and computer systems analysts.
She said, in Kosciusko County, there always has been a need for computer numerically controlled programmers and operators who make orthopedic parts.
McCarthy-Sessing said she thinks January's unemployment report will not be released until this month, but she expects the unemployment rate to be at the same 11 percent level or maybe a little higher.
