COLUMBUS — Area counties saw their unemployment rates jump in May, as more people found jobs yet even more sought work, according to statistics released this week by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Allen County saw its rate go up from 4.3% in April to 4.7% in May. The number of unemployed people went up by 200, to 2,200, according to the state. At the same time, there were 100 more people with jobs than there were the previous month, as the labor force expanded in the county.
Allen County’s rate was 47th out of Ohio’s 88 counties.
At the same time, there were 2,102 jobs available within 10 miles of Lima on Thursday morning, according to OhioMeansJob.com’s listings.
Putnam County tied for the third-lowest unemployment rate in the region, at 3.5%, still up from 3.3% last month.
The rates in Auglaize County and Van Wert County both climbed 0.4 percentage points, to 3.7% in May. The duo tied for the fifth-lowest rates in Ohio.
Hardin County had the largest jump in unemployment in the region, up to 5.0%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points compared to April.
As far as the jobs available in the region, most of the OhioMeansJobs.com listings were for entry-level and middle-income positions:
• 35.8% were considered entry level, paying less than $30,000 per year.
• 38% were middle income, paying $30,000 to $49,999 per year.
• 9.3% were upper middle income, paying $50,000 to $79,999 per year.
• 17% were high income, paying above $80,000 per year.
