Government jobs in Indiana now outnumber manufacturing jobs.

Rocked by layoffs, imports and automation, workers in Indiana plants numbered 430,800 in January, while government at all levels, including schools and publicly owned hospitals, employed 442,800 workers.

Factory jobs most likely will exceed government’s again as the economy recovers. But for now, the eclipse of the industrial base marks a remarkable chapter for this Rust Belt state.

Indiana remains the state with the largest share of its labor force in manufacturing, although that factory force clearly has shrunk.

City Chambers of Commerce in Columbia City, Churubusco and South Whitley have merged to form the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce.

Indiana’s Hispanic community is expected to spend $7.3 billion in 2010, up from $4.9 billion in 2005, according to a new study.

SABIC Plastics in Mount Vernon is recalling 40 workers.