Valley’s April unemployment rate down

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped 1.2 percentage points in April 2018 compared with April 2017, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data released Tuesday.

The combined unemployment rate for Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties was 5.2 percent last month, compared with 6.4 percent in April 2017.

Though the number of unemployed people decreased by 3,000, employment did not increase.

The number of people in the labor force dropped by 4,000.

In Mahoning County, April’s unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, compared with 6.4 percent in April 2017. In Youngstown, the rate dropped from 8 percent in April 2017 to 6.2 percent last month.

In Trumbull County, last month’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, compared with 6.7 percent at that time last year.

In Columbiana County, April’s unemployment rate was 4.8 percent. In April 2017, it was 5.8 percent.

Both state and national unemployment rates were down in April, as well.

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in April, down from 4.4 percent in March, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 3.9 percent, down from 4.1 percent in March.