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Valley unemployment below 5 percent
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mahoning Valley’s unemployment rate took what one economist calls an “almost unprecedented” decline when it went from 7.8 percent in November 2013 to 4.9 percent in November 2014.
“That is noteworthy,” said Ken Mayland, economist and president of Clearview Economics in Cleveland.
The not seasonally adjusted local unemployment numbers released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show a decrease in unemployment by 7,800 from last November. The amount of employed increased by 2,900.
The civilian labor force went from 261,000 to 256,000 workers.
“The number of dropouts from the labor force is a national phenomenon,” Mayland said.
Mayland said the increase in employment is partially because of the oil and gas exploration happening in and near the Valley and in the state. The industry feeds everything from manufacturing to transportation, he said.
“It has really had a pervasive impact on the economy,” he said. “It is enough to move the needle for the entire state.”
Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers released last Friday showed the state down to 5 percent.
Bert Cene, director of the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association, has not seen low unemployment numbers like last month’s in years.
He said the problem is there is still a need for skilled workers, especially in manufacturing, machinery and welding.
The traffic of job seekers is down, he said, but there are still jobs to be filled.
“We just have to make sure we have the labor force that is ready and trained for the jobs,” Cene said.
The MCTA has many programs to help prepare the workforce.
“It is just a matter of the [job seekers] seeing what they need and them coming in and utilizing the services,” Cene said.
Cene believes 2015 will be another good year for the Valley, as long as the training of new workers happens.
Mahoning County had an unemployment rate of 4.9 last month, a 3 percent decline from November 2013. The county, like the Valley, also saw a drop in the civilian labor force. Unemployment went down from 8,700 in November 2013 to 5,300 in November 2014.
Columbiana County’s unemployment rate went down 2.8 percent for November 2014 when it dropped to 4.8 percent from 7.6 percent in November 2013. Columbiana also saw a drop in the civilian labor force. Its unemployment went down to 2,400 from 3,900 in November 2013.
Trumbull County’s unemployment rate went from 7.7 percent in November 2013 to 4.9 percent in November 2014. The civilian labor force also went down for the county. The number of unemployed dropped to 4,800 from 7,700 in November 2013.