While the January unemployment rate for Ohio fell slightly, Ashtabula County’s rate surged to 15.4 percent, the highest figure yet during this Great Recession.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released the county-by-county Civilian Labor Force Estimates for January on Wednesday. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate for January was 10.8 percent, down from 10.9 percent in December. Ashtabula County’s rate rose from 14.2 percent in December 2009.
The county’s rate was the 18th highest in Ohio. Ashtabula County had the highest unemployment rate of any county in northeast Ohio.
The high rate is one more indication that the economic recovery under way on Wall Street has yet to trickle down to Main Street. Indeed, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than 60 percent from a year ago, Ashtabula County’s unemployment situation has worsened. The January 2009 rate was 12.9 percent.
Statewide, the county rates ranged from a low of 8.6 percent in Holmes County to 19.3 percent in Clinton County. Seven counties had rates at or above 18 percent.
The report issued Wednesday shows Ashtabula County had 7,600 jobless residents in January. Ashtabula County Commissioner Peggy Carlo said she couldn’t think of any single large layoff in the county that would have driven up the numbers. Some of the increase may be attributed to retailers paring back after the holidays. In addition, a couple dozen of the workers are Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department employees who were let go because of county budget woes.
More layoffs are on the horizon. On Feb. 17, Smurfit-Stone Container filed its Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice with the state. The plant will close April 10, dropping another 130 workers into unemployment.
On the plus side, the Austinburg Sanitary Sewer Project will get under way this spring, possibly adding new jobs to the local economy for a few months.
The discouraging January rate comes three days in advance of the Ashtabula County Port Authority Economic Steering Committee’s retreat with community leaders. Robert Taylor, who is heading up the committee, said about 50 reservations have been confirmed for the economic development retreat at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School. He said input gathered from one-on-one surveys, a countywide citizens survey and conference calls with sector leaders, as well as from retreat participants, will be condensed into a rough draft of a comprehensive economic plan during the all-day retreat.
“I think this is an opportunity to hear and exchange ideas, do some brainstorming,” said Carlo, who plans to participate.
Taylor said he hopes to have the final plan to the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners by mid-April. The committee’s work will be completed at that point, but the county’s work just will be beginning.
Carlo said it’s time for a new approach.
“We’re going to have to run this like a business,” Carlo said. “We’re going to have to talk to each other.”
“Once we have a comprehensive plan in place, the real crux is going to be creating the buy-in for the citizen,” Taylor said.
With at least 7,600 of the county’s residents still deeply affected by the Great Recession, it will be a tough sell.
“The problem is that the need is now,” Carlo said. “People want something now.”
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