Indiana’s unemployment rate is at 3.2 percent for the third consecutive month. Before this year, it hadn’t been that low since late 2000.

But the private sector shed jobs for the first time since November – 7,000 jobs lost last month. That’s primarily driven by losses in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, as well as significant construction job losses.

Yet there are growing signs of optimism in the Indiana economy. For the third straight month, the state’s labor force increased. The labor force is a measure of both those who have jobs and those actively looking for one. And growth is often viewed as a positive economic sign.