Unemployment rate rises slightly in Clark County

Clark County’s unemployment rate rose slightly in December, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Clark County’s unemployment rate was 4.8 in December, up slightly from 4.7 percent the previous month, according to the jobs report. The unemployment rate in Clark County was 4.9 percent at the same time in 2015.

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The monthly figures were relatively flat, said Bill LaFayette, an economist and owner of Regionomics, an economic analysis and workforce development firm in Columbus. When adjusted for seasonal factors, Clark County’s unemployment rate inched up to 5.3 percent in December, compared to 5 percent in November.

Overall, LaFayette said the average number of people considered employed in Clark County was essentially unchanged compared to a year earlier.

The unemployment rate in Champaign County fell slightly, from 4.2 percent in November to 4.1 percent last month. The unemployment rate in Champaign County was unchanged from the same time in December 2015.

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One downside to low unemployment is it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified workers to fill some positions, said Than Johnson, CEO and president of Champaign Residential Services Inc. The agency, whose headquarters is in Urbana, is a private non-profit that offers services to individuals with developmental disabilities across 30 Ohio counties.

The agency is hiring for numerous positions, many of which have gone unfilled for weeks, he said. While some positions like nurses require specific skill sets, many of the agency’s positions are entry-level jobs like home health aides. Despite the openings, Johnson said it’s sometimes been a struggle to find qualified workers at a time with low unemployment.

“We have 200 open positions, which means they’ve been open at least two weeks,” Johnson said. “What that results in is our overtime over this last year has spiked.”

Clark County, state still struggle with long-term joblessness

Companies are increasingly competing for the same workers, he said. It’s an issue that is affecting health care across the state, he said.

“My dilemma is in our field, when we get a low unemployment number that means there’s not a whole lot of people unemployed we can hire,” Johnson said.

Several counties, including Champaign and Clark counties, plan to conduct a wage and benefit study later this year, said Marcia Bailey, economic development coordinator for the Champaign Economic Partnership. Champaign County is looking for ways to attract both new companies and workers to the county, she said.

The study will provide local firms in the region with more information to remain competitive within their industries, she said.

“The unemployment rate is lowering, which shows we’re in a better economy,” Bailey said. “But there are still jobs that are going unfilled and we need to find that workforce.”

Springfield experts: Wages grow, competition heats up for workers

Ohio’s unemployment rate, which is seasonally adjusted, was 4.9 percent last month, unchanged from November. The state added 10,300 jobs in December, according to information from the Ohio DJFS. The number of people considered unemployed in the state also ticked up last month.

Job growth in Ohio at the end of last year was healthy, said Orphe Divounguy, an economist with the Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank. However, he said the state’s economy has seen relatively slow growth since the Great Recession, and lags the national average.

“Another issue in Ohio is that despite employment growth, we have a declining labor force,” Divounguy said, citing factors like an aging workforce and negative net migration as workers move from Ohio to other states.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in December.

Ohio saw the biggest gains in industries like professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities and health services. The state shed jobs 2,800 jobs in construction, which offset smaller gains in industries like manufacturing, which added 1,100 jobs.

From December 2015 to December 2016, information from the ODJFS showed Ohio added about 41,800 jobs over the year. The biggest gains throughout the year were in fields like leisure and hospitality, educational and health services and financial activities.


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Unemployment rates:

Clark County:

January — 6.1 percent

February — 5.8 percent

March — 5.6 percent

April — 4.9 percent

May — 4.6 percent

June — 5 percent

July — 5.1 percent

August — 4.7 percent

September — 5.7 percvent

October — 4.7 percent

November — 4.7 percent

December — 4.8 percent

Champaign County:

January — 5.1 percent

February — 4.8 percent

March — 4.6 percent

April — 4 percent

May — 3.9 percent

June — 4.4 percent

July — 4.6 percent

August — 4.1 percent

September — 5.3 percent

October — 4.2 percent

November — 4.2 percent

December — 4.1 percent

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