June 17, 2000
Seneca county's unemployment rate steady
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Seneca County's unemployment rate remained the same in April and May, while the rates in surrounding counties varied.
In May, 4.2 percent of the county's labor force was unemployed, according to information from the Ohio Bureau of Employment services.
The labor force included an estimated 29,000 people, of whom 27,700 had jobs. In May 1999, the county had an estimated 28,700 workers.
Last May, the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent.
Among adjacent counties, Huron County had the greatest decrease, from 5.3 percent in April to 4.6 percent, in May.
Sandusky and Wyandot counties experienced a 0.2 percentage point drop. Sandusky County went from 4.1 to 3.9 percent, which Wyandot County went from 3.0 to 2.8 percent.
The rates in Wood and Hancock counties went up by 0.1 percentage point. In Wood County, it went from 2.5 to 2.6 percent, while in Hancock County the rate went from 2.3 to 2.4 percent.
Crawford County had the greatest increase, going from 4.3 to 4.7 percent.
The state's unemployment rate last month was 4 percent, up slightly from 3.9 percent in April.
The temporary hiring of large numbers of U.S. Census workers contributed to the low rate, offsetting scattered losses in services and manufacturing, the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services said Friday. Federal government employment in Ohio increased 11,800 over the month.
The jobless rate for May was down from the 4.3 percent recorded in May 1999. The national rate last month was 4.1 percent, up from 3.9 percent in April.
Among Ohio's 88 counties, the May rates ranged from a low of 1.8 percent in Delaware and Madison counties to a high of 9.9 percent in Vinton County. Rates dropped in more than half of the counties. The county rates are not seasonally adjusted.