Success in Economic Well-Being and Security
Employment and Unemployment in Allen County, Indiana
 The data in the chart above reflects the number of jobs in Allen County. Advantages of this data series are that it is "collected" data, not data obtained from a survey. It is less likely to be substantially revised, and also provides additional insights, such as employment or average pay at the industry level. QCEW data answers the question "How many jobs (covered by state unemployment programs) are there in a certain area?". The major disadvantage is that there is a 7 month lag in obtaining the data. |
What is the actual employment in Allen County? The answer depends on what is being defined. For example, the number of jobs in Allen County is a different concept than how many Allen County residents are employed. |
 Note: QCEW: average January through Sept., 2007 |
There are other employment programs that provide valuable data. The LAUS program provides unemployment information, and is relatively timely with a six-week lag. On the flip side, the data is revised quite often. LAUS is based on a survey, and reflects the employment of residents in a given area (compared with the number of jobs in an area). The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) expands upon the BLS QCEW data to add those in sole proprietorships, in non-profits, etc., those that do not participate in unemployment coverage. As the graph illustrates, the number of jobs in Allen County is much higher when these additional jobs are included. BEA data is annual, not monthly or quarterly as is the BLS data, and the lag is substantial. Note that 2005 data is available at a time when July 2007 data is available from the LAUS program. |
 |
Another comment on Allen County employment data--there is a degree of seasonality in the data-this can be viewed in the "Employment by Month" chart with highs occurring in the April-May time and lows during the summer months . When comparing employment trends, be careful about accepting comparisons to the prior month unless it has been seasonally adjusted. |
To view what type of jobs are represented by this employment, the Regional Partnership's web site has a good summary. Since the RMP represents an 11-county region, scroll through the employment choices to arrive at the Allen County page.
Source for employment data: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages .
 |
Note: For the most up-to-date unemployment rate, check STATS INDIANA or the COMMUNITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE for MSA data. |
Source for unemployment rate data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics for County and State
Definitions, Sources, and Caveats:
Unemployment rates (the inverted duration of unemployment) are a key indicators of local economic conditions. The unemployment rate is a lagging indicator, which means that it may be a quarter or two after the economy starts to improve before any improvement in the unemployment rate is seen.