Indiana questions uptick in state unemployment

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The state Department of Workforce Development says Indiana's unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in August, up from 8.2 percent a month earlier, even though the state gained 7,200 private sector jobs during the month.

The department says job growth rate in Indiana for August tripled the national average. Indiana's unemployment rate was slightly above the national average of 8.1 percent.

The agency says it was the third month in a row Indiana received data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics showing discrepancies between  job growth and employment. Workforce Development Commissioner Scott Sanders says the department has repeatedly questioned the national data models, saying the numbers don't add up.

Since July 2009, the low point of employment, Indiana has added more than 150,000 private sector jobs.