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Ohio Valley Jobless Rates Improve, But Could Increase With Store Closures

Photo by Casey Junkins
Construction contractors continue working on the new headquarters for The Health Plan in downtown Wheeling. Although unemployment rates in the Upper Ohio
Valley have been dropping, the closure of three stores this year could be a
setback.

WHEELING –Jobless rates in Belmont, Ohio and Jefferson counties fell in December, but the pending closures of Kmart and Elder-Beerman at the Ohio Valley Mall, Michaels at The Highlands and Macy’s at the Fort Steuben Mall could send unemployment numbers higher.

Company information shows 46 will lose their jobs when Elder-Beerman closes at the mall, while Sears Holdings Corp., which owns Kmart, does not provide specific employment numbers for the St. Clairsville store. The Michaels closure will leave 25 unemployed, while the Macy’s closing in Steubenville will displace 59.

As the Upper Ohio Valley remains hopeful for a positive decision on the planned PTT Global Chemical America ethane cracker at Dilles Bottom, and as construction work continues throughout downtown Wheeling, others will soon be looking for work.

“Closing a store is never an easy decision,” said Kathryn Bufano, president and CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., which owns Elder-Beerman. “We would like to thank the loyal customers who have shopped with Elder-Beerman over the years as well as our devoted store associates for their dedication and friendly customer service to this community.”

“We are taking strong, decisive actions today to stabilize the company and improve our financial flexibility in what remains a challenging retail environment,” Edward S. Lampert, chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings, said regarding the Kmart closure.

Both stores are expected to vacate the north end of the mall by March 31. Statistics from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show Belmont County’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.6 percent in September to 6.2 percent in December. The store closures, as well as the pending closure of the Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. stamping plant in Shadyside, could send the jobless rates higher, at least in the near-term.

Unemployment rates in both Ohio and West Virginia lag the December national number of 4.7 percent, data from the Ohio agency, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and WorkForce West Virginia, indicate.

The loss of Michaels at The Highlands in Ohio County could seem a relatively minor setback for the retail and entertainment center’s grand scheme, while the county’s 4.5 percent December unemployment rate dropped from 4.9 percent in September.

In Jefferson County, officials hope to see somewhat of a resurgence in the once-powerful steel industry with a few hundred employees potentially back on the job at the mill, now known as ACERO Junction. The county’s jobless rate fell from 7.5 percent in September to 6.9 percent in December, but the loss of Macy’s could impact that figure.

“These are never easy decisions, and we are committed to treating associates affected by these closings with respect and transparency,” Macy’s Chairman and CEO Terry J. Lundgren said.

The jobless rate in largely rural Harrison County dropped from 6.6 percent in September to 6.3 percent by December. Monroe County’s 9.6 percent statistic remains the highest in the entire Buckeye State. With the county never able to recover from the closure of the former Ormet Corp. aluminum smelter in 2013, and the former Ormet rolling mill several years before that, many in the mainly rural area continue struggling.

In Marshall County, home to Murray Energy Corp. mines and the American Electric Power Mitchell Plant, 6.4 percent of those looking for work are unsuccessful, a slight decline from the 6.7 percent in September.

Brooke County, featuring the Mountain State Carbon coke plant and the Wheeling-Nisshin Inc. facility, has an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, which is down from 6 percent in September.

Hancock County’s unemployment number dropped slightly from 6 percent in September to 5.6 percent in December, although profits at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort continue falling.

A slowdown in Marcellus and Utica shale drilling activity could be part of the reason Wetzel County saw its jobless rate climb from 7.5 percent in September to 8.3 percent in December. The same could be true of Tyler County, whose unemployment number grew from 7.5 percent to 8 percent in the last three months of 2016.

On the border of Indiana, Mercer County’s 3.1 percent unemployment rate is Ohio’s lowest. In West Virginia, Calhoun County in the central part of the state now features the highest jobless rate at 12.4 percent. Conversely, Jefferson County, the Mountain State’s easternmost, features the lowest unemployment rate at just 2.6 percent.

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