News Democrat

Unemployment at record low

By Wayne Gates – 

The unemployment rate rose in January in every county in Ohio.
The jump was an expected seasonal one, because of retail layoffs following Christmas and the end of some outdoor work during the winter.
In Brown County, the jobless rate rose 1.1 percent from December to January to 6.5 percent.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Brown County has a labor force of 19,400 people, of which 18,200 are employed.
Adams County saw the biggest jump in the area, with the unemployment rate climbing 2.3 percent to 9.2 percent.
While the unemployment rate did go up from December in both Brown and Adams counties, it is still at record lows for January.
The January 2018 rates for both counties are the lowest on record that are available from the OJDFS since 1970. That’s the lowest local unemployment rate in nearly fifty years.