Valley jobless rate up in May

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate was up just slightly in May, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Tuesday.

In May, the Valley’s unemployment was 5.8 percent, up from 5.7 percent reported in May 2016.

The number of unemployed in the tri-county area went up 100 year-over-year to 14,100, and the number of employed dropped to 229,100 from 230,300 reported in May 2016.

The civilian labor force – the sum of the unemployed and employed – was 243,000, down from 244,000 reported in May 2016.

In Mahoning County, the unemployment rate was up to 5.8 percent from 5.5 percent reported in May 2016. The number of unemployed increased to 6,200 from the 5,800 unemployed in May 2016. The number employed dropped to 99,300 from 99,900. The civilian labor force was 105,500 in May 2017, down 200 from the previous May.

Joblessness in Youngstown increased from 7 percent in May 2016 to 7.6 percent this May.

In Trumbull County, the unemployment rate went from 5.9 percent to 6.1 percent in May.

The number of unemployed was up to 5,500 from 5,300 while the number of employed dropped to 84,500 from 85,000. The civilian labor force dropped 400 to 90,000.

In Columbiana County, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent from 5.9 percent. The number of unemployed in the county dropped from 2,800 reported in May 2016 to 2,500 reported in May 2017. The number of employed also dropped to 45,200 from 45,400. The civilian labor force dropped to 47,800 from 48,300.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 5 percent in April to 4.9 percent last month. Ohio’s unemployment rate in May 2016 also was 4.9 percent.

The national rate decreased from 4.4 percent in April to 4.3 percent last month. That’s lower than it was in May 2016.