It’s been nearly five years since the Great Recession started and what looked like fluctuating job growth short term is actually a long and slow recovery.

Unemployment rates for Clark and Champaign counties are at the lowest levels since summer 2008, according to monthly data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services on Tuesday.

“We think obviously we’re in a recovery, just somewhat of a slow recovery,” said Angela Terez, spokeswoman for ODJFS. She said the state rate of 6.9 percent remains “higher than we’d like, but we’re really encouraged by this number. The overall outlook hasn’t changed. We added almost 14,000 jobs in the month of October and 120,000 since January of 2011.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, local unemployment rates spiked higher than state and national rates, up to about 12 or 13 percent in late 2009 and early 2010. Conversely local unemployment rates have improved faster, and are now lower than the state and national levels.

In Clark County, unemployment fell from 6.9 percent in September to a preliminary 6.3 percent in October.

In Champaign County, the unemployment rate fell a full percentage point, from 7 percent in September to 6 percent in October.

“Others are worried, I even read an article about the fiscal cliff and manufacturing starting to slow up and stop hiring,” said Lehan Peters, deputy director of Job and Family Services of Clark County and WorkPlus One Stop Center. “We’re seeing the opposite in Clark County.”

Terez said the situation in each county is different. In Clark County, a large reason why unemployment has fallen is because people are leaving the workforce. The labor force has dropped from more than 70,200 people to 68,900 people from October 2010 to October 2012, according to BLS data.

However in Champaign County, more people are returning to the workforce, as well as finding jobs.

“In Champaign County the labor force dropped from October 2010 to 2011, but it rebounded by 2012,” Terez said.

Federal data shows that the labor force dropped from nearly 19,800 people in October 2010 to almost 19,100 at the same time in 2011. Now, the labor force is back up to 19,600 people.

A high concentration of manufacturing employment in Champaign County could account for some of the recovery there, Terez said.

Local workforce officials agree. Representatives from Champaign County Job and Family Services couldn’t be reached for comment. But Lehan Peters in Clark County said she has met with others in Champaign County to discuss how to help improve employment rates.

“We met with Champaign County last week. They have a lot of employers hiring people primarily in the manufacturing industries,” she said.

“At 6 percent, it’s low, it’s wonderful we’re definitely headed in the right direction. But we know there are still people out there looking.”

So WorkPlus has been contacting people close to exhausting their unemployment benefits to tell them about job and training opportunities, Peters said, and has worked with organizations such as the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to host job fairs.

Angela Frost of Springfield attended the Western Clark County job fair in October after seven months of searching for jobs. While she heard back from employers there, she found a temp-to-hire accounting position in Dayton, where she started last Monday.

“It was just my field was the only way I got my job,” Frost said, who has years of accounting experience. She said it’s still hard to find jobs despite the improving economy, and said she even posted her resume on Facebook.

“We need more job fairs and that would definitely help,” Frost said. “And I recently attended a WorkPlus (class) as part of my unemployment requirement.”

WorkPlus has added an extra orientation class a week for those on unemployment to accommodate people who want to learn about job training incentives, different jobs and skill sets needed and registering with staffing agencies, Peters said.

These agencies, such as Staffmark on Upper Valley Pike, are key partners in helping people find jobs and have seen an increase in the number of clients looking for employees.

“Manufacturing is continuing to stay steady and take off but you are seeing a lot of seasonal jobs because of the increased need to cover busy holiday season,” said Jay Miller, general manager. He said seasonal hiring starts in October and ends in December.

“Your seasonal job can be like a job interview,” he said. “If they have an opening in full-time positions, then those people can really outshine other candidates and be considered for full-time jobs.”

WorkPlus orientations are now at 2 p.m. Monday and Wednesdays at the office on Lagonda Avenue. Call (937) 327-1700 for more information.