Unemployment figures in local areas in Michiana are following the state trend, according to the latest December jobs report released Wednesday by the Indiana Dept. of Workforce Development.

It shows the Elkhart-Goshen area dropping almost a full percentage point from December 2016 to December 2017, going from 3.0 percent to 2.1 percent. The South Bend-Mishawaka area fell at a slightly lower rate, going from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent in that period.

The state of Indiana saw unemployment drop from 4.0 in December of 2016 to 3.4 percent in December 2017. That’s also slightly down from November 2017’s figure of 3.7 percent.

Nationally, unemployment decreased from 4.7 percent in December 2016 to 4.1 percent in December 2017. However, the jobless rate was unchanged from November 2017.

A link to the full report is here: http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/docs/state/lfe/2017/lfemth12.pdf