The number of county workers filing for unemployment benefits has been falling steadily since the beginning of the year, showing some — if gradual — recovery from the depths of the COVID-19 economic slowdown.

Fewer Butler County workers have filed for unemployment insurance in 15 of the 17 weeks since Jan. 2, with the pace of that decline rapidly increasing. Between Feb. 27 and May 1, the number of workers filing either initial or continued claims has fallen nearly 40%, from 4,803 to 2,918.

Still, the number of workers seeking jobless benefits is significantly increased from where that data was prior to the pandemic. For the week ending May 1, the 2,918 workers filing for benefits was more than double the 1,389 workers who sought benefits the week ending May 4, 2019. Similarly, the 3,084 workers filing for benefits in the week ending April 14 was up 153% compared with the same time two years prior.

To state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, the numbers are an encouraging indicator that county workers are returning to employment.

“We want things to rebound quickly,” he said. “I definitely feel things are rebounding and more people are going back to work.”

He noted, however, some businesses are having difficulty finding workers for roles. Hutchinson attributes that to many causes, including expanded unemployment benefits. Currently, out-of-work residents can receive $300 a week on top of typical unemployment benefits, making it a challenge for typically lower-wage jobs to be filled.

Another reason residents may not return to work, Hutchinson said, is because school districts have had to shift in the past year from full-time, in-person learning to full remote, and everywhere in between.

“That makes it more difficult for families with children to plan to go back to work because their kids are in school when they're at work,” he said. “If that's a dicey proposition, it may be simpler for them to stay home. A general reopening of everything, I think, helps that situation. People will feel freer to go back to work.”

An additional obstacle to returning to full employment is the suspended requirement for those claiming unemployment benefits to actively seek work. That component of unemployment compensation was suspended due to the pandemic, but Hutchinson said it should be reinstated in the coming months.

He added the acting state secretary of labor has mentioned the possibility of phasing that benefit back in — it would place a severe burden on the system, the secretary claimed, to suddenly begin enforcing that component with such a large number of people claiming benefits — and he supports such a move.

“Benefits are finite, so you have to start looking so you can get off those benefits,” Hutchinson said.