Trumbull County's jobless rate rocketed to 14.7 percent in January, matching its worst level since August 1983, as the economic recession continued to hammer the county's manufacturing base.
The jump more than doubled the 7.1 percent rate in January 2008 and was a sizeable increase from 9.8 percent in December, according to Tuesday's report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The January number is preliminary and subject to revision.
The last time the county's unemployment rate was so high came as the nation was trying to dig out of the 1981-82 recession, then the worst economic stretch since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Niles resident Gina Tibbs knows she's entering a difficult job market, even armed with an associate's degree from Trumbull Business College as a legal assistant.
''I'm worried about finding something,'' she said as she waited in line at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Service Center in Warren.
The 26-year-old mother of two said she wants to stay in the area but is willing to broaden her job search to Cleveland or Akron area ''if the money was right.''
Frank Flaminio, supervisor at the One-Stop work force development service in Warren, said his department saw 3,857 jobseekers in the first two months this year compared to 2,479 in the same period of 2008. Of this year's total, 709 were first-timers, a number he said is ''dramatically higher.''
The county's jobless rate peaked at 24.5 percent in November 1982. It improved to 4.2 percent in October 2000.
What's more, layoffs since January are expected to drive the rate higher, the latest being 82 at the General Electric's Ohio Lamp plant in Warren.
The biggest hits have come from the General Motors Corp. Lordstown Complex, where 1,990 workers were furloughed as the factory slashes production of its Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars due to weak sales. Up to 800 more workers are scheduled to be idled April 6.
Auto factories' layoffs have led to hundreds of furloughs for many area auto parts companies, including Delphi Packard Electric, Lear Corp. and others.
The area's largest steelmaker, OAO Severstal Warren, also has idled roughly 1,000 workers of its 1,200 staff as demand for steel has plunged.
The county's latest jobless number rank it 12th among the state's 88 counties for highest unemployment. Huron County, located just south of Erie County in north central Ohio, had the highest jobless rate at 18.3 percent.
Youngstown's jobless rate of 14.4 percent was the worst among the state's largest cities, edging Toledo at 14.3 percent.
Unemployment in surrounding counties was 13.4 percent in Mahoning and Ashtabula, 12.8 percent in Columbiana, 10.2 percent in Portage and 6.5 percent in Geauga, second best only to Delaware's 6.1 percent rate.
