Spring Break
Ohio, Butler Co. poverty rates rise as unemployment decreases
Sam Kay
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Front Page
Ohio and Butler County unemployment rates have decreased slightly from August to September, but the most recent data available show increased poverty levels and disbursement of social services.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Ohio's unemployment rate fell by 0.7 percent to 10.1 percent from August to September, while Butler County's unemployment rate fell by 1 percent to 9.1 percent. With the number of jobs still falling, the decrease in unemployment rates is not an indication that more people are returning to work.
Frustrated by an increasingly sparse job market, more Ohio workers are giving up on the job search and returning to school or seeking training, according to ODJFS spokesperson Angela Terez.
"The unemployment rate measures people who are actively seeking work," Terez said. "It doesn't count people who have given up their job search for one reason or another. The actual number of jobs is still falling … people are becoming frustrated and stopping the job search, re-enrolling in school."
Workforce One of Butler County is one of the places that people turn to seek training, but it has been out of training funds since mid-July, even after receiving $1 million for training from the federal stimulus package. Don Kell, manager of the Workforce One job center, said the center has seen a dramatic increase in traffic since January.
"We're extremely busy, with double, triple the amount of people we usually see," Kell said. "For the most part, conservatively, 90 percent of them were interested in getting some kind of occupational training."
Although the training money has dried up, the job center is putting people on waiting lists, but is still providing job counseling.
"We're encouraging people not to give up," Kell said. "We're still serving customers. People can come through and talk to counselors … going through the process up to the point of getting into training is still advantageous."
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Ohio's unemployment rate fell by 0.7 percent to 10.1 percent from August to September, while Butler County's unemployment rate fell by 1 percent to 9.1 percent. With the number of jobs still falling, the decrease in unemployment rates is not an indication that more people are returning to work.
Frustrated by an increasingly sparse job market, more Ohio workers are giving up on the job search and returning to school or seeking training, according to ODJFS spokesperson Angela Terez.
"The unemployment rate measures people who are actively seeking work," Terez said. "It doesn't count people who have given up their job search for one reason or another. The actual number of jobs is still falling … people are becoming frustrated and stopping the job search, re-enrolling in school."
Workforce One of Butler County is one of the places that people turn to seek training, but it has been out of training funds since mid-July, even after receiving $1 million for training from the federal stimulus package. Don Kell, manager of the Workforce One job center, said the center has seen a dramatic increase in traffic since January.
"We're extremely busy, with double, triple the amount of people we usually see," Kell said. "For the most part, conservatively, 90 percent of them were interested in getting some kind of occupational training."
Although the training money has dried up, the job center is putting people on waiting lists, but is still providing job counseling.
"We're encouraging people not to give up," Kell said. "We're still serving customers. People can come through and talk to counselors … going through the process up to the point of getting into training is still advantageous."
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