The difference is where the person lives versus where the job is located, said Charles Mazza, director of Labor Market Information at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development . Published reports often use the word employment to refer to both categories of data, which may create some confusion. Data for the number of people employed and unemployed, explained Mazza, are based on where people live. A Lake County resident who commutes to Porter County to work will show up in the employed statistics for Lake County. So unemployment rates always measure the level of unemployment among residents of a county.
Jobs are another measure of people at work.
But jobs, also termed employment, are counted in the county where the work is located. That same Lake County commuter working in Porter County will be part of Porter County s employment number. Therefore, Indiana residents who hold jobs in Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky or Ohio are not part of Indiana s jobs total. Unemployment rates are by place of residence, said Mazza. Employment, or the jobs number, is by place of work.