For 2009 the leading economic indicators fell 5 percent in the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor metro area; Akron fared slightly better...the indicators were down 3 percent there while Columbus saw a decline of just one percent.
A 2nd report... also from the state department of jobs and family services, looked at data for the last two years and that turned up an attention getting result. The number of jobs lost across Cuyahoga County's suburbs for the first time since the recession began, are far outpacing jobs losses in the city of Cleveland.
Economic analyst George Zeller says the historic drop of manufacturing jobs 'had been' concentrated inside the city. But now...
GEORGE ZELLER:
"The figures are hitting firms that are located out in the suburbs, and even `harder' than they did in the city for the last two years - that's startling!"
Cuyahoga suburbs lost more than 35-thousand jobs between 2007-2009, 6 times more than Cleveland.
And the cuts struck some crucial industries.
ZELLER:
"Manufacturing going way down and also finance and insurance going way down at same time, has ended up having effects that are not just in the inner city, they're all over the county."
Jobs were also down by as much as 30% in Utilities, Information, Construction, and the Retail sector.
Among the few bright spots; were small employment increases in select industries.
ZELLER:
"The most notable example of that is in health care and social assistance. The health services jobs, in the city `and' in the suburbs, actually grew."
Oh yes. One more sector showed job growth in the county. The federal government.
