Local counties are once again battling the seasonal jump in unemployment, but the fight is ugliest in Ottawa County. 

That county’s unemployment rate stood at 13.3 percent in December, up from 11.9 percent in November, according to new figures from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

With about 2,800 residents looking for work, Ottawa County has the second-worst unemployment rate in the state. 

The situation is worse only in Pike County, where about 14.3 percent of the labor force is searching for jobs. 

While the outlook is little comfort, the new data does show Ottawa County improved last month compared to a year ago, when the unemployment rate was 16.5 percent — the highest rate in Ohio at the time.

Ottawa County and its neighbors typically see unemployment jump in the winter months with the loss of seasonal jobs.

Huron County’s unemployment rate in December, 10.9 percent, was the 10th highest in the state.   

Erie and Sandusky counties, meanwhile, both saw unemployment rates of 8.2 percent last month, a slight increase from the month prior. In the city of Sandusky, the rate was 8.9 percent. 

Among the city’s job-seekers: Jared Wimer, 25, who was searching the help wanted advertisements Tuesday at the Erie County Job Store.

The prospect of landing a job remains uncertain, Wimer said, particularly in an unforgiving economy where many people end up vying for one position.

Wimer said he’s looking for a factory job, and he has some manufacturing experience he hopes will set him apart from the crowd.

But unless a job candidate has trade skills, factory jobs are few and far between these days. Wimer said he has no trade skills.

He also has a prison record for various felony drug offenses, yet another hurdle he has to overcome as he hunts for work.

“I am nervous,” he said. “I’m hoping I can find some type of a job.”

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, Ottawa County’s average unemployment rate at the close of 2011 was the sixth worst. 

County commissioner James Sass said he and the other commissioners are concerned.

“It’s a tough go,” Sass said. “It’s not a number we are proud of.”
 

Related File(s): 

Unemployment.pdf