Ohio Unemployment Dips to 4% in April

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate dipped to 4% in April, down a tenth of a percentage point from March, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported.

The state unemployment rate was down from 5.6% a year earlier, according to a news release. The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 3.6%, unchanged from the month before and down from 6.0% in April 2021. The number of workers unemployed in Ohio last month was 233,000, down from 237,000 in March. The number of unemployed has decreased by 88,000 in the past 12 months from 321,000.

Ohio’s labor force participation rate was 61.8%, up from 61.7% in March and up from 61.6% in April 2021. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 62.2%, down from 62.4% in March and up from 61.7% in April 2021.

Nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 9,500 over the month, from a revised 5,464,400 in March to 5,473,900 last month, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor in cooperation with ODJFS.

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 929,100, increased 7,200 over the month with gains in manufacturing (+3,900) and construction (+3,300), while mining and logging employment was unchanged over the month.

The private service-providing sector, at 3,792,300, increased 1,900 as gains in other services (+2,200); leisure and hospitality (+1,300); professional and business services (+1,200); information (+400); and financial activities (+200) surpassed losses in trade, transportation, and utilities (-2,600) and educational and health services (-800).

Government employment, at 752,500, increased 400 as gains in state (+300) and local (+200) government outweighed losses in federal government (-100).

From April 2021 to last month, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 117,400. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 33,500. Manufacturing added 20,000 jobs in durable goods (+11,500) and nondurable goods (+8,500). Construction added 13,400 jobs while mining and logging gained 100.

Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 83,300 as gains in leisure and hospitality (+44,300); trade, transportation, and utilities (+23,400); professional and business services (+15,200); other services (+8,000); information (+3,900); and financial activities (+1,300) outpaced losses in educational and health services (-12,800).

Government employment increased 600 as gains in local government (+3,400) exceeded losses in state (-2,600) and federal (-200) government.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.