Ohio Initial Jobless Claims on the Rise

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Initial unemployment claims in Ohio rose by 17% last week, while continued traditional jobless claims declined, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Ohioans filed 8,218 initial traditional unemployment claims between May 8 and May 14, which was 1,197 more than the previous week, ODJFS reported.  Approximately 3,244of those have been flagged for more stringent identity verification to ensure they are not fraudulent.

Ohioans filed 30,228 continued traditional unemployment claims during the period, or 3,144 fewer when compared to the previous week, a drop of 9.4%.

The total number of traditional claims filed from May 8 through May 14 stood at 38,446.

Ohio’s unemployment rate in March was 4.1%, ODJFS reported, while the national unemployment rate in March was 3.6%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in March was 61.7% compared to the national labor force participation rate of 62.4%.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.