County unemployment rate drops

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The unemployment rate in Highland County fell in August to 5.4 percent, a drop of 1.2 percent from the previous month, according to new figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

ODJFS said the labor force in Highland County has 17,600 workers, with 16,600 of them employed and 1,000 unemployed. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Of the 88 counties in Ohio, Highland County is ranked 23rd in terms of the highest unemployment rate in the state, tied with two other counties.

Seasonal adjustment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a “statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment change from month to month.”

It considers the changes in labor market activity because of seasonal events like weather, harvests and major holidays. Because the seasonal events are mostly the same every year, the change in the trends can be eliminated by seasonally adjusting the statistics from month to month. The adjustments allow people to see the underlying trends and other nonseasonal movements, ODJFS said.

Overall, the Ohio unemployment rate went unchanged in August, staying at 5.4 percent.

The county unemployment rates in Ohio range from a low of 3.2 percent in Holmes County to a high of 7.1 percent in Jefferson and Meigs counties.

The state had 10 counties at or below 4.0 percent unemployment in July: Holmes County at 3.2 percent, Mercer County at 3.4 percent, Putnam, Union and Wyandot counties at 3.7 percent, Delaware and Geauga counties at 3.8 percent, Madison and Wayne counties at 3.9 percent, and Auglaize County at 4.0 percent.

The state had nine counties at or above 6.5 percent unemployment in July: Jefferson and Meigs counties at 7.1 percent, Athens County at 7.0 percent, Monroe and Noble counties at 6.8 percent, Harrison, Scioto and Trumbull counties at 6.6 percent and Mahoning County at 6.5 percent.

According to ODJFS, 86 counties had their unemployment rate decrease in August.

Of the six counties contiguous to Highland County: Ross County had 4.8 percent unemployment, Fayette County had 4.9 percent, Clinton County 5.5 percent, Brown County 5.3 percent, Pike County 6.3 percent and Adams County 6.3 percent.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.

This graphic shows how high or low the unemployment rate is in all 88 counties in Ohio. The lighter-colored counties have lower unemployment rates while darker-colored counties have higher unemployment rates.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/09/web1_UnemploymentAUGUST2021.jpgThis graphic shows how high or low the unemployment rate is in all 88 counties in Ohio. The lighter-colored counties have lower unemployment rates while darker-colored counties have higher unemployment rates. Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services graphic

By Jacob Clary

[email protected]

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