Unemployment up across the Valley in November

All three counties posted higher unemployment rates than November 2012, but Mahoning County fared the worst in year-over-year comparisons.

Unemployment up across the Valley in November

Unemployment across the Mahoning Valley hit 8.1 percent in November, up a full percentage point increase from the same time a year ago.

In Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, the total number of unemployed increased by 2,500 to 21,300, while employment dropped by 2,000, according to data released Friday by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

All three counties posted higher seasonally-unadjusted unemployment rates than last year, but Mahoning County fared the worst in year-over-year comparisons.

Last month, Mahoning County’s unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent, up from 6.8 in November of last year. The number of unemployed persons in Mahoning County increased by 1,700 to 9,200, while employment declined by 700.

In Columbiana County, the jobless rate jumped to 8.0 percent, compared to 7.1 percent last November. Employment was down by 700, and the number of unemployed rose by 500.

Meanwhile, Trumbull County’s jobs dipped by 700 to 92,500, and unemployment increased by 400. It’s jobless rate stood at 8.0 percent, compared to 7.6 percent a year ago.

Unlike statewide and national data the county jobless data is not adjusted to account for seasonal changes in employment, which usually occur around the end of the summer and the holidays.

Ohio’s unemployment rate for November was 7.4 percent, which was above the national rate of 7.0 percent.