Valley’s unemployment rate improves

Valley’s unemployment rate improves

The unemployment rate in the Mahoning Valley ticked down in January, as the area’s total number of unemployed dropped off drastically from the same time last year.

The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent from 10 percent the year before, according to revised numbers released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

The number of unemployed in the Valley dropped by 4,000, while 2,300 more were able to find work in the year-over-year comparisons. Meanwhile, the civilian labor force decreased by 1,000, as all three counties saw loses in that category from January 2013.

In Columbiana County, unemployment rate fell from 10.2 percent to 8.4 percent, representing the biggest improvement of all three counties. Mahoning County’s jobless rate fell to 8.6 percent in January, compared to 9.8 percent a year ago, and Trumbull County improved to 8.4 percent unemployment from 10.1 percent last January.

All three counties saw the total number of employed rise and unemployed fall.

But the civilian labor force was down across the board, with losses of 900 in Columbiana, 100 in Mahoning and 600 in Trumbull.

The valley’s unemployment rate again registered well above the state and national rates.

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted rate, which takes into account the vicissitudes of seasonal hiring, was 6.9 percent in January. That figure was down from 7.1 percent in December and 7.3 percent in January 2013.

The U.S. unemployment rate for January came in at 6.6 percent, down from 6.7 percent in December and 7.9 percent in January 2013.