Ohio’s unemployment rate reached 4.6 percent in July during a year where the state’s progress toward reducing it has remained stagnant.
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services reports that throughout 2018, the statewide unemployment rate has fluctuated between a high of 4.7 percent in January and a low of 4.3 percent in May. Athens County’s unemployment rate in July was even higher at 6.9 percent.
“Unemployment is traditionally higher in our area than in the state as a whole,” Richard Vedder, a professor of economics, said.
Compared with other states, Ohio ranks at 42, near the bottom along with Washington, Arizona and Nevada. Only four counties in the state have higher unemployment rates than Athens. Monroe County ranks the highest at 7.5 percent, Adams at 7.2 percent and Huron and Meigs counties at 7.0 percent.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate is reported to be at 3.9 percent. Ohio has consistently lagged behind or close to the national rate over the past 10 years since the Great Recession.
Ohio State Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, said that despite Ohio’s and Athens’ low rankings, the area is seeing a large amount of job creation, and it needs to continue in order for Ohio to improve.
“The types of jobs you are seeing are tech-savvy jobs that are on the coast,” Edwards said. “You're seeing more robotic-type jobs than blue collar manufacturing jobs, but we still feel like they are out there and we are hoping we can bring them back.”
In a previous Post report, the Appalachian Regional Commission listed Athens as a distressed county in its evaluation of Appalachian county economic statuses for fiscal year 2018. Three year averages of unemployment, per capita market income and poverty rates, were factored into this data.
“The more rural areas definitely don't have as many opportunities,” Lauren Adkins, a junior majoring in global studies, said. "It is more difficult to sustain (jobs) here.”
Adkins said she had a very difficult time finding a job in Athens while she lived here and eventually had to move back home to West Virginia in order to find one. She said to get more jobs back, there needs to be a change in both political viewpoint and an influx of different people, new infrastructure and new businesses.
The Wall Street Journal reported that youth unemployment hit a 52-year low of 9.2 percent in July. That number came from people between ages 16 and 24 looking for work this summer.
Vedder said the current job market is great for most college graduates, but it depends on a person's field of study. He said the chances of getting employed can vary based on what type of job they are looking for, what they were trained for and if they are willing to accept a job outside of the field of study.
Sarae Johnson, a junior studying exercise physiology, said the job market for graduates is very competitive right now.
“I think the biggest thing with unemployment is networking,” Johnson said. “Just knowing people in places will help you have the upper end.”
