Jobless Claims Decline in Ohio to Just Over 10,000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Unemployment filings declined in the Buckeye State last week, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Ohioans filed 10,473 initial traditional unemployment claims the week ended June 26, which was 2,480 fewer than the previous week. They also filed 181,116 continued traditional unemployment claims last week, which was 9,318 fewer than the previous week.

A total of 3,978 initial Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims were filed in Ohio last week, which was 704 more than the previous week. Ohioans filed 253,930 continued PUA claims last week, which was 8,923 more than the previous week.

The total number of claims filed from June 20 to 26 was 449,497.

Ohio’s labor force participation rate in May was 59.9%. Its unemployment rate in May was 5%. The national rate for the month was 5.5%.

Over the last 67 weeks, the job and family services department distributed over $12 billion in unemployment compensation payments to over 1 million Ohioans. In addition, it has issued over $10.7 billion in PUA payments to over 1.1 million Ohioans.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has multiple initiatives under way to help spur the state’s economic recovery. These include the Ohio To Work initiative to help displaced workers reskill and restart their careers; an $8.5 million National Dislocated Worker Grant that will help unemployed workers and employers impacted by COVID-19; and a $9.4 million grant to expand apprenticeship opportunities.

ODJFS works in partnership with local workforce development boards to provide employment and training services at 88 OhioMeansJobs centers throughout the state. Individuals can visit OhioMeansJobs.com or contact their local OhioMeansJobs center to find and apply for job openings, take skill and career interest assessments, create or improve their resumes, and practice interviewing.

Employers can contact their nearest OhioMeansJobs center to get help finding skilled candidates for jobs, screening resumes, learning about federally funded tax credits or training programs, and more. In the Mahoning Valley, OhioMeansJobs has offices in Boardman and Warren.

The ODJFS urges individuals to file their unemployment claims online, if possible, at
Unemployment.ohio.gov. All eligible Ohioans will receive their unemployment benefits retroactive to when they first applied.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.