The number of residents estimated to be employed in some form also decreased in both counties during those two months. In Clark County, the number of people estimated to be employed went from 60,700 in May to 60,200 in June. In Champaign County that number went from 19,000 in May to 18,700 in June.
Ohio county unemployment rates for June as well as estimated employment and labor force figures were released on Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The labor force, the combined total of residents either employed or looking for work, did increase slightly in Clark County during the months of May and June. That number went from 62,800 to 62,900. However, that increase was less than what is usually expected for this time of year, said Bill LaFayette, an economist and owner of Regionomics, a Columbus-based economics and workforce consulting firm.
When factoring in seasonal and past labor trends, there were 300 less people in Clark County’s labor force during June, said LaFayette, who noted that the labor force appears to have been slipping over the past few months.
If the labor force had reflected trends seen at the beginning of this year, that number would have been greater in June than what was recently reported, Lafayette added.
“There may be less college students entering the labor force than what is typically seen,” Lafayette cited as a possible reason for the lower than usual labor force in June.
But, the overall labor force for Clark County this year is up when compared to last year. Lafayette said that number is up by 900 people.
However, it is hard to pinpoint the factors causing that as well as what economic trends will look like for the rest of this year.
In Clark County, there were more people employed in June of this year than last, but the labor force was smaller. There were 59,300 Clark County residents estimated to be employed last June and the labor force during the same period was estimated to be 63,200.
In Champaign County, 18,600 residents were estimated to be employed in June 2021, while the labor force was 19,600.
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