Valley’s jobless rate at 5.9 percent

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley’s non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate was reported at 5.9 percent for August 2016 up from 5.5 percent reported in August 2015.

Total unemployment was 14,600 compared with 13,700 reported in August 2015, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Total employment was 232,600 compared with 233,500 reported in August 2015.

The civilian labor force, or the sum of the unemployed and employed, stayed the same at 247,000.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate in August 2016 dropped slightly to 4.7 percent from 4.8 percent in July 2016.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 4.9 percent, unchanged from July.