Monday, March 22, 1999
Jobless rate just 3.4% in Warren
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
One of Ohio's fastest-growing counties remains among the leaders statewide in low jobless rates.
Warren County, the second-fastest-growing among Ohio's 88 counties, recorded a 3.4 percent unemployment rate in February, according to the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services (OBES).
The county was one of nine in Ohio with the lowest jobless rates for the month.
Statewide, the unemployment rate for February was 4.2 percent, up slightly from January's 4.1 percent. Nationally, the jobless rate was 4.4 percent.
“It's a very thin labor market,” said Robert Craig, director of planning for Warren County. “There are not that many people out there without a job.”
The 3.4 percent rate for the county for February was
up slightly from previous months, but county officials remain pleased with the consistently low rates of joblessness.
Mr. Craig said Warren County officials sometimes refer to the relatively low employment rates in the county as full employment. “Essentially, everyone who wants a job has a job,” he said.
OBES interim Administrator James Mermis said the state's slight increase in unemployment from January brought only a small amount of concern.
“Overall, we saw some gains in service sector and construction employment during the month, but this was largely canceled out by some temporary layoffs in the auto industry and food production,” Mr. Mermis said in a statement.
“This slight increase in the unemployment rate is in line with similar increases in the unemployment rate nationally. Overall, Ohio continues to have a strong and growing labor market,” he said.
Among the stronger showings was Hamilton County at 3.2 percent, down from 3.4 percent in January; Butler County at 3.6 percent, down from 3.8 percent, and Clermont County at 3.9 percent, down from 4.1 percent in January.
Among the state's 88 counties, the February unemployment rates ranged from a low of 2.3 percent in Delaware County, Ohio's fastest-growing county, to a high of 16.7 percent in Morgan County.
OBES officials said the number of Ohioans with jobs was 5.576 million in February, up 10,000 from January. The number of unemployed in February was 244,000, which is up from 237,000 in January.
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