Unemployment rates continue to move higher in Northwest Indiana, but the actual number of people working is also up.
Lake County's unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point to 5.4 percent in July, the second-highest in the state. But some local communities — like Gary, Merrillville and East Chicago — continue to see even higher rates, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Porter County's unemployment rate rose from 3.4 percent in June to 3.6 percent in July.
But those numbers don't tell the whole story. The actual number of people working increased by more than 2,200 in Lake County and almost 900 in Porter County, as more people appear to be looking for work.
The construction and health care sectors saw some of the biggest employment growth in the past year in Northwest Indiana.