Valley unemployment rate down slightly

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s jobless rate for December was 5.8 percent, down from 6 percent in December 2016.

The number of unemployed was 13,900, down from 14,500 the previous year. The number of employed went up to 226,000 from 225,500.

The civilian labor force, or the sum of the employed and unemployed, was 240,000, unchanged from the same month the previous year.

Mahoning County’s jobless rate for December went unchanged at 5.9 percent. The number of unemployed was 6,100, down from 6,200 the previous December, and the number of employed was unchanged at 97,900.

The civilian labor force was down 100 to 104,000.

In Trumbull County, the jobless rate in December 2017 was 6.1 percent, down from December 2016’s rate of 6.2 percent.

The number of unemployed was 5,400, down from 5,500, and the number of employed was also down by 100 to 83,300. The civilian labor force dropped by 200 to 88,700.

In Columbiana County, the jobless rate was down to 5.2 percent in December 2017 from 5.9 percent reported in December 2016. The number of unemployed went down by 400 to 2,400, and the number of employed went up 500 to 44,800. The civilian labor force went up 100 to 47,200.

State officials say Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in December but remained higher than the national rate.

The state unemployment rate decreased from 4.8 percent in November and was lower than the 5 percent rate of December 2016.

The national rate was 4.1 percent in December, unchanged from November, and down from 4.7 percent in December 2016.

The state Department of Job and Family Services says Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased by 2,500 jobs in December.