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 Unemployment rates worsen in November

Michael Harrington

Dec 24, 2020 11:51 AM

SANDUSKY — Erie County had the second-highest unemployment rate in the area for November as the second wave of COVID-19 stalls the economic recovery.

Erie County went from 6.9% in October to 7.1% in November. The rate is more than 2 percentage points higher than the unemployment at the same time last year.

November is the first month the county’s unemployment rate increased since April when the COVID-19 pandemic caused mass layoffs and furloughs.

But Erie County wasn’t the only county to see a rise in unemployment last month. All four local counties saw their unemployment rates worsen as COVID-19 infections surged again.Huron County saw its rate go up to 5.7% from last month’s 5.4%, which is worse than November 2019’s 5.2% unemployment rate.

Ottawa County had the largest increase — 1 percentage point — in the area as it recorded a 6.5% rate in November.

Sandusky County’s 5.2% was the best in the area, but still a slight increase from October’s 5.1% rate.

At the state level, Ohio’s unemployment rate barely improved in November to reach 5.7% when seasonally adjusted, meaning the data omits factors like weather and holidays.

The national unemployment rate also saw a small improvement to reach 6.7% in November. U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said the economy continued to add jobs in most sectors but stumbled in others.

“Jobs were lost in retail and food and beverage establishments in November, and a number of workers pulled away from the labor force amid rising coronavirus cases,” Scalia said.

He also highlighted that at 6.7%, the employment rate is still lower than it was for the first five years after the Great Recession in 2008, indicating a faster recovery this time.