INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Corrections made by the federal government to Indiana's unemployment rate lowered the figure by half a percentage point, pushing the state mark further below the national jobless rate.

The revision announced Friday put Indiana's September rate at 3.5%, rather than 4.0%.

The October rate also released Friday dropped slightly to 3.3%, compared to the national mark of 4.6%.

The state Department of Workforce Development says the problem stems from "distortions" during the COVID-19 pandemic in statewide labor force estimates used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for its region that includes Indiana.

Michigan had the biggest change, with its unemployment rate increasing by 1.7 percentage points to 6.3% for September.