COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohioans filed Ohioans filed 4,976 initial unemployment claims during the week ended Aug. 23, 188 fewer than the week before, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday.
Approximately 624 of those initial claims have been flagged for more stringent identity verification, to ensure they are not fraudulent, the department said in a news release.
ODJFS also reported that Ohioans filed 45,949 continued unemployment claims last week, 1,480 fewer than the previous week. The total number of claims filed from Aug. 17 to Aug. 23 was 50,925.
Ohio’s unemployment rate in July was 5.0%. The national unemployment rate in July was 4.2%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in July was 62.6%. The national labor force participation rate in July was 62.2%.