ASHTABULA —
The unemployment rate crept up in Ashtabula County during December, even as the size of the civilian labor force and number of unemployed persons declined.
The December rate, which is not seasonally adjusted, was 9.9 percent. The rate in November was 9.3 percent.
The civilian labor force decreased by 300 workers from November to December, when it stood at 47,000. The number of persons working fell by 600. And the number of persons listed as “unemployed” grew by 300, to 4,700, in December.
The 47,000 civilian labor force is the smallest Ashtabula County has seen since the mid-1990s, when the labor force began a steady growth that peaked in December 2005 at 50,100.
A declining labor force is indicative of an exodus of workers from the county and/or unemployed workers giving up on their job search.
The increase in the number of unemployed in December marked the reversal of what had been a downward trend since January 2011, when there were 6,400 unemployed residents. Much of the decrease can be attributed to the jobless exhausting their benefits. In January 2011, there were 42,400 county residents employed in full- or part-time civilian work. December closed with 42,300 employed, a net decrease of 100 jobs for the year.
The county’s average unemployment rate for 2011 was 10.7 percent. For 2010 it was 12.6 percent.
Continuing claims for unemployment compensation by county residents fell from 8,639 in January to 4,996 in December. But 100 more persons filed new claims in December than did in January, reinforcing the upward trend in the unemployment rate.
Both the state’s and nation’s rates continued their gradual downward trend in December. Ohio’s December unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 7.6 percent, while that of the United States was 8.3 percent. Rates, when adjusted for seasonal variations such as hiring during the Christmas season, are higher. Ohio’s seasonally adjusted rate, for example, was 8.1 percent.
The county’s 9.9 percent rate was the highest in northeast Ohio. The next closest were Trumbull and Columbiana counties, which were at 8.8 percent.
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