Right to Work Indiana Posts Highest Monthly Private-Sector Job Growth in 15 Years
U.S. Labor Department data released at the end of last week suggest that Indiana, which became America’s 23rd Right to Work state in early 2o12, is now enjoying a sustained improvement in its job market.
In November, as multiple media outlets in Indiana have reported (see the link below, for example), the state’s total private-sector employment grew by 15,800, seasonally adjusted, “the most in a one-month period in 15 years.” Â Last month, Indiana’s 0.6% private-sector job growth was double the national average. Sectors enjoying especially large job growth in Indiana in November include professional & business services (+6400), transportation and utilities (+3400) and manufacturing (+2300).
Perhaps the best news of all for Hoosiers, as Indiana Department of Workforce Commission Steven J. Braun emphasized in a statement commenting on the U.S. Labor Department employment report, is that the state’s workforce has expanded by more than 75,000 in the last year alone. Â This suggests that good opportunities are luring formerly “discouraged” workers, as well as an increasing number of job seekers from other states, into the Indiana job market.
The latest federal jobs data as well as a number of other economic reports offer good evidence that Indiana’s economy has improved since its Right to Work law took effect in 2012. Â The recent improvements in employment and compensation certainly discredit the Big Labor apologists who claimed the Hoosier Right to Work law would lead to economic disaster.
But the fact is, the primary reason pro-Right to Work Hoosiers pushed for years to pass a ban on forced union dues and fees until they finally convinced state politicians to go along is because they believe it’s just plain wrong to force any employee to bankroll a private organization such as union to get a job or keep a job.
Freedom-loving Hoosiers won’t have to wait for years of economic data to come in before they conclude their Right to Work law is a success. Â They already recognize the law as a success, because it is giving thousands and thousands of employees the choice to stop financially supporting unions they sincerely believe don’t benefit them.
State Workforce Commissioner Steven J. Braun: “Indiana’s private-sector job growth in November, when taken in historical context, is quite remarkable. Equally impressive is the fact that the Hoosier State has added more than 75,000 individuals to our labor force over the past year alone. Image: www.currentzionsville.com