Unemployment down in Valley, till now

YOUNGSTOWN

The year started with many bright spots in the Mahoning Valley.

Unemployment was down and layoffs weren’t making headlines.

Now, the Valley’s unemployment rate is slightly up, from 5.6 percent in November 2014 to 5.8 percent last month, and another group of workers at a local plant were laid off last week.

“We haven’t seen these layoffs in years,” said Bert Cene, director of the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association.

MCTA helps workers find jobs and helps employers find employees.

This year, Cene said the organization has seen layoffs at Tamarkin, Giant Eagle’s former support center in Austintown, of 196; the Community Corrections Association of 185; Vallourec Star, a plant that makes steel pipe for the oil and gas industry, of 168; Parker Hannifin hydraulic gear pump plant of 150; Exal, an aluminum can maker, of 40; and Exterran, a fabrication plant for equipment used in the oil and gas industry, announced layoffs of 68 last week.

Not all the layoffs have occurred yet, but they were all announced this year. MCTA has worked with a majority of the companies’ employees to help them find new work.

“That’s a lot of people,” Cene said.

Read more about the situation in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.