Valley’s unemployment rate up in August

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s nonseasonally adjusted jobless rate went up slightly to 6.5 percent in August, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Tuesday.

Last August, the rate was 6.1 percent.

The total amount of unemployed across Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties was 15,900, up from 15,000 reported last year. The number of employed dropped to 226,300 from 229,900.

The Valley’s civilian labor force, or the sum of the employed and unemployed, was 242,000, down from 245,000 reported in August 2016.

In Mahoning County, the jobless rate was 6.6 percent, up from 6 percent. The number of unemployed was 6,900, up from last year’s 6,300, and the number of employed dropped to 97,900 from 99,700. The civilian labor force in the county dropped to 104,900 from 106,000.

In Trumbull County, the jobless rate jumped to 6.9 percent from 6.3 percent. The number of unemployed in August 2017 was 6,100, up from 5,700, and the number of employed dropped to 83,300 from 84,800.

The civilian labor force was 89,500, down from 90,500.

In Columbiana County, the jobless rate dropped to 5.8 percent from 6.3 percent reported in August 2016. The number of unemployed was 2,800, down from 3,000, and the number of employed also dropped to 45,000 from 45,400. The civilian labor force was 47,800, down from 48,400.

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in August, up from 5.2 percent in July.

The U.S. unemployment rate for August was 4.4 percent up from 4.3 percent in July and down from 4.9 percent in August 2016.