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When adjusted for seasonal factors, Clark County saw a slight improvement rate, from 5.2 percent to 5 percent in November, said Bill LaFayette, owner of Regionomics, a Columbus-based economics and workforce consulting firm. However, he noted a trend in which the size of the labor force in Clark County has steadily declined over the past several months.
“The trend in labor force so far this year, especially going back to May and June really has not been good at all,” LaFayette said.
State estimates show there were about 800 more people in the workforce in Clark County in November last year, but LaFayette said that figure is larger when adjusted for seasonal factors.
Locally, officials are hoping companies like Topre America will be able to boost hiring in Clark County next year. Late last week, the Japanese auto parts firm announced it will open a plant in Springfield next year at the Champion City Business Park.
Topre has pledged to invest about $10 million into a new 20,000-square-foot facility at the business park and hire 20 employees. But company officials have said it’s possible that number could increase rapidly if they acquire additional work from Honda. Initially, Topre workers will produce the front bulk head for the Acura MDX sport utility vehicle.
In Champaign County, employers will ramp up hiring next year, said Marcia Bailey, economic development director for the Champaign Economic Partnership.
“It is great to see the decline (in unemployment) during this time of year,” Bailey said of the figures released Tuesday. “I believe 2017 we will see an increase in employment and further decrease in the unemployment rate.”
Ohio’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9 percent from October, according to information from the Ohio DJFS. Ohio added 9,100 jobs in November and there were about 2,000 fewer people listed as unemployed statewide.
The state added about 3,600 jobs in construction, exceeding losses in manufacturing and mining and logging, according to the DJFS. The state also added 10,300 jobs in leisure and hospitality, but lost 2,100 jobs in educational and health services, and lost 1,000 jobs in professional and business services, according to the state data.
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The Springfield News-Sun digs into important stories about jobs and the economy in Clark County, including recent coverage of Honda’s new data center and tracking monthly unemployment rates.
By the numbers:
Clark County:
January — 6.1 percent
February — 5.8 percent
March — 5.6 percent
April — 4.9 percent
May — 4.6 percent
June — 5 percent
July — 5.1 percent
August — 4.7 percent
September — 5.7 percent
October — 4.7 percent
November — 4.7 percent
Champaign County:
January — 5.1 percent
February — 4.8 percent
March — 4.6 percent
April — 4 percent
May — 3.9 percent
June — 4.4 percent
July — 4.6 percent
August — 4.1 percent
September — 5.3 percent
October — 4.2 percent
November — 4.1 percent
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