The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Jobs data stir hope locally, statewide

Average number of claims in a 4-week span declined from a year earlier, analyst says

Police headlines for Feb. 11
12:33 a.m.
Local Focus: Clark County for Feb. 11
12:31 a.m.
Local Focus: Champaign County for Feb. 11
12:29 a.m.
Cold, wind to keep roads slick today
12:11 a.m.
Safety, job hopes linked to road work
10:23 p.m.
> More headlines

By William Hershey, Staff Writer 6:16 PM Monday, November 30, 2009

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s jobless rate may be 10.5 percent, but for the first time in a decade there’s a glimmer of hope in the state’s unemployment news, research analyst George Zeller reported Friday, Nov. 27.

During the most recent four-week period, the average number of unemployment claims statewide has declined compared to the same period a year ago, the first time that’s happened in 10 years, Zeller found. Dayton-area counties mostly followed the trend.

“The end of soaring rates of increase in Ohio new unemployment claims is a very welcome positive development, despite the fact that new unemployment claims still remain at a level that is too high to indicate job growth in Ohio,” Zeller said in his report.

Statewide, the number of claims compared to 2008 dropped by 21.4 percent. In Montgomery County, the decline was 27.2 percent and in Clark County it was 34.8 percent. Champaign County’s rate was 28.4 percent, according to the report.

Overall, unemployment in the county is still very high but layoffs are coming in smaller waves, said Lehan Peters, deputy director of the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services’ WorkPlus Center.

“The bottom line is it’s kind of leveling off as far as the mass layoffs, however now we’re seeing it more from the social sector,” said Peters.

Sue Bailey, director of Champaign County Job and Family Services, said the figures may simply provide a small bit of hope, although jobs are still difficult to find for many residents.

The declines in other counties included: Miami, 16.9 percent; Darke, 35.9 percent; Preble, 32.8 percent; Greene, 6.3 percent, and Warren 1.2 percent. In Butler County, unemployment claims climbed by 0.1 percent.

“We’re still losing jobs. The layoffs are too high. They are lower than last year. That’s good, but last year they were atrocious,” Zeller, based in Cleveland, said in an interview.

The new data doesn’t mean the state is gaining more jobs than it is losing, Zeller said.

The state still is experiencing more that double the number of unemployment claims that it does when Ohio is experiencing job growth, Zeller said.

“We’re still not out of the woods,” Zeller said.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@CoxOhio.com.

Share this article