Little change in local unemployment stats

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley’s unemployment continued to hover around 12 percent for the third consecutive month.

The combined unemployment rate for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties was 11.9 percent in July, the state reported today. Joblessness, however, remains significantly lower than 2009, when the unemployment rate was 13.9 percent in July.

“It almost appears as if we have stagnated to some extent,” said Bert Cene, director of the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association, which oversees work force investment. “There is some growth, but I haven’t seen the recovery that we thought we would see by now.”

For the complete story, see Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com