Ohio has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country – 11.2% in July. Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke said this morning that the recession is “technically” over, but it will be a long road to recovery in Ohio and other places in the country where the manufacturing sector has been hit particularly hard.

Help Wanted is a new series from WCPN in Cleveland, reporting on how people are coping with job loss and the economic climate overall. Today’s piece talks about the “ripple effect” — how one person’s layoff can affect dozens of businesses in a community.

John Kraizel was laid off from his engineering job in January.
“Kraizel cut expenses down to the essentials. No dinners out. Fewer haircuts. Definitely no lawn service. And the house cleaners? He pushes his own vacuum now.

All told, Kraizel estimates he’s cut about $1000 from his monthly budget. That’s $1000 out of the local economy.”

Listen to the full story here.

The series has also reported on people looking for jobs when they are over 50 and out of work, and areas where the job market is more promising, like teaching.

Why Ohio? This week I’m in Cleveland for the Public Radio Program Directors Conference, and will be sharing some of the ideas I’m hearing from public radio folks from across the country.