COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services recently released the September unemployment numbers for Ohio.
Pike and Vinton Counties took the top two spots on the report. Pike County, officials said, came in with nearly an 8% unemployment rate compared to Vinton County at 7%. Both counties rank higher than the state and national averages.
Ross County was listed fourth in the state at close to 6.6%.
Business owners across the area have taken to social media seeking job applicants. In Chillicothe, restaurants and gas stations have had to close early due to labor shortages.
Economic experts blame the shortage of workers on low wages and COVID-19.
Governor Mike DeWine previously claimed that the government’s COVID-19 unemployment benefits were responsible for the shortage. Since the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) ended, staffing numbers have remained low.
Ohio opted out of the federal unemployment benefits three months ago without any studies to support the decision. The governor said the extra $300 a week was causing the labor shortage. “That extra $300 a week in federal pandemic unemployment compensation is, in some cases, certainly discouraging people from going back at this point,” DeWine said in May.
Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, said DeWine’s decision was politically motivated and that the shortage is due, in part, to poor wages.
Whaley said workers deserve better pay. That’s one reason Whaley says she is challenging DeWine in 2022 for the state’s top executive seat. “As we come out of this crisis, the problem facing Ohioans is the same one we had before Coronavirus: Wages are too low,” she said in a statement. Mike DeWine is turning down money that could help Ohioans because he’s worried about politics.
Experts say, “We are in the midst of a dangerous trend.”
Retail stores across the nation also brace for a potentially rough holiday season as labor and supply shortages affect operations. Big Box retailers such as Walmart, and Target, representatives say, are trying to stockpile merchandise before the holiday rush. Market analysts predict much higher revenue sales than 2020 only if outlets can maintain their inventory.