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More locals out of work

Area unemployment spiked, as Hamilton and Middletown jumped to 12.5 percent jobless rate in January.

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer Updated 12:26 AM Thursday, March 11, 2010

Another 1,500 area people were jobless in January as unemployment rates in Butler County spiked more than 1 percent.

According to statistics released Wednesday, March 10, by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, unemployment rates jumped to 10.9 percent in the county. In Warren County, the rate increased by 1.2 percent to 10.5 percent, signifying another 1,200 people were without work in January compared to December 2009 figures.

Unemployment rates at the city level reflected the county increases, with both Hamilton and Middletown jumping above 12 percent to 12.5 percent. Fairfield, the only other Butler County city tracked by the state, had the smallest increase in unemployment, rising 0.7 percent from December 2009 to 10 percent.

Jenni Pillers, 29, of Fairfield said she has been out of work for more than a year. While she said she could “get a job at Walmart or McDonald’s, that’s not a living wage.

“I make more money on unemployment. I can’t support my kids on those jobs,” the former accountant said.

People are staying on unemployment longer as a result of the job market. According to Brian Harter, spokesman for ODJFS, continued jobless benefits claims increased 5 percent in Butler County and 10 percent in Warren County in January.

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