Portage County bounces back from the pandemic, but the worker shortage is a hurdle

Offices for lease in downtown Ravenna. Owen MacMillan/The Portager

Portage County bounces back from the pandemic, but the worker shortage is a hurdle

- Owen MacMillan

In 2021, the City of Kent saw over a dozen businesses open or expand, and only three businesses closed. The city reported its highest tax revenue on record, and the unemployment rate plummeted, Kent Economic Development Director Tom Wilke said in a presentation on the economy to city council on Feb. 2.

In November, Kent reported an unemployment rate of 2.9 percent, the lowest it has been since the city began keeping track.

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