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Butler County’s unemployment rate jumps to 9.5 percent

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer Updated 8:29 AM Wednesday, November 25, 2009

After two months of decreases in unemployment after state officials said more people gave up the search for work, jobless rates have begun to trend upward as residents renew the hunt in the midst of holiday hiring.

According to statistics released Tuesday, Nov. 24, by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Butler County’s unemployment rate increased 0.4 percent to 9.5 percent in October.

In August and September, unemployment figures appeared to take a dip, but that was not a result of more people finding work — an additional 2,500 people locally entered the ranks of the unemployed during that time. Many became frustrated with the employment situation and gave up the job hunt, according to state officials.

With the holidays approaching, more people may have begun that search again, said Brian Harter, spokesman for the ODJFS.

“Most of the change can be attributed to people re-entering the labor force. I suspect mostly because they have limited resources and need the work. Some may be hopeful of seasonal employment or businesses needing to restock low inventories,” he said.

Cities followed the county trend, where in Middletown rates increased 0.2 percent to 10.5 percent, and in Hamilton, unemployment spiked past 11 percent to 11.1. This is compared to the 10.8 percent jobless rate reported by the state for September.

Fairfield, the only other Butler County city tracked by the report, also saw an increase month over month of 0.4 percent with an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent.

All rates are not seasonally adjusted, meaning it does not account for upticks in employment created by holiday hiring. Overall, seasonal hiring is expected to be slower than past years as retailers remain cautious. Kronos Inc., which focuses on work-force management solutions, said its Kronos Retail Labor Index decreased to 2.58 percent in September, an all-time low for the index. This means for every 100 applications received there were three hirings, according to the index.

In Ohio, the unemployment rate increased to 10.5 percent in October, up from 10.1 percent in September.

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