VW County unemployment rate remains low

VW independent/submitted information

Despite a slight increase from the previous month, Van Wert County’s May unemployment rate was one of the lowest in Ohio.

According to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the county’s jobless rate increased from 2.5 in April to 2.7 percent in May, eighth lowest among the state’s 88 counties.

It’s substantially lower than Ohio’s rate of 4.1 percent.

Mercer County had Ohio’s lowest unemployment rate, 2.1 percent, while Putnam County had the second lowest rate, 2.4 percent. Another contiguous county, Auglaize County, had the fourth lowest jobless rate, 2.5 percent.

Paulding County had the state’s ninth lowest unemployment rate in May at 3.1 percent, while Allen County was 10th lowest at 3.2 percent.

Three southeast Ohio counties had the state’s highest unemployment rates in May. Monroe County jobless rate was 6.7 percent, followed by Meigs County (5.5 percent) and Noble County (5.4 percent).

Overall, the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in May was 239,000, down 8,000 from 247,000 in April. The number of unemployed has decreased by 25,000 in the past 12 months from 264,000. The May unemployment rate for Ohio decreased from 4.6 percent in May 2018.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 3,900 over the month, from a revised 5,597,500 in April to 5,593,600 in May, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 937,300, increased 300 over the month as gains in manufacturing (+2,400) exceeded losses in construction (-2,000) and mining and logging (-100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,877,200, lost 3,400 jobs. Employment losses in educational and health services (-2,400), financial activities (-1,500), other services (-1,000), and information (-600) surpassed gains in leisure and hospitality (+1,200), trade, transportation, and utilities (+700), and professional and business services (+200). Government employment, at 779,100, decreased 800 as losses in local government (-900) outpaced gains in state government (+100). Federal government employment did not change over the month.

From May 2018 to May 2019, nonagricultural wage and salary employment grew 42,900. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 9,200. Manufacturing increased 7,900 with gains in nondurable goods (+5,300) and durable goods (+2,600). Construction added 1,100 jobs and mining and logging added 200 jobs. Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 33,800. Employment gains in educational and health services (+15,300), leisure and hospitality (+13,900), professional and business services (+5,700), and financial activities (+1,500) exceeded losses in information (-2,200) and other services (-400). Trade, transportation, and utilities did not change over the year. Government employment decreased 100 as losses in local government (-4,800) surpassed gains in state (+3,800) and federal (+900) government.