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Valley unemployment down, state jobs down
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Unemployment in the Valley is down from last summer, but the state leads the nation with a 12,400 over-the-month decrease in employment in July.
The Valley’s unemployment went from 8.8 percent in July 2013 to 6.8 percent in July 2014, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services on Tuesday. In Mahoning County alone, July’s unemployment rate is 6.8 — down 2.1 percent from last year at this time. It is up, however, from June’s rate of 6.2 percent.
In Columbiana County, the rate also went down from 8.3 percent in July 2013 to 6.5 percent this July, but up from 6.2 percent in June.
Unemployment also went down in Trumbull County with this July’s at 7 percent compared with 8.9 percent in July 2013. It, too, is up over June’s rate of 6.5 percent.
Although the year-over-year decline in unemployment in the Valley is positive, one economist stressed the slow-moving growth of the entire state.
“It is very important that we move faster than the nation,” said George Zeller, a Cleveland-based economist. “There has been a year-over-year decline, and that is a good thing. We are recovering, but it is too slow.”
Zeller said July was the 21st-consecutive month the state was behind the national job-growth rate average. Ohio’s year-over-year job-growth rate for July was 1 percent compared with the nation’s 1.92 percent.
The state unemployment numbers released Friday showed an uptick in employment from June to July, when employment went from 5.5 percent in June to 5.7 percent in July.
Industries hit with job losses from June to July in Ohio included manufacturing, with a loss of 2,900 jobs, and state government, with a loss of 5,300.
A Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Monday showed Ohio is first in job losses with the largest over-the-month decrease in employment in July. Maryland was second with 9,000 losses, and South Carolina was third with 4,600.
“These government cuts are slowing down the recovery,” Zeller said. “The manufacturing loss was a key one. Manufacturing is driving what progress we have made.”
Throughout Ohio, manufacturing has added 11,700 jobs from July 2013 to 2014, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
“I think it has been pretty steady,” said Bert Cene, director of the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association. “I think we are still seeing a need out there. Manufacturing remains strong.”
Cene mentioned the uptick in manufacturing here for the oil and gas industry. He is seeing a need for more qualified workers with training in specific areas such as welding.
He said Ohio’s rank for job losses for July is “disheartening, but we don’t see that in our regions.” There still is work out there, according to the MCTA numbers.