Ohio Unemployment Rate Falls to 10.9%

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate fell to 10.9% in June, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, down from 13.9% in May but still up greatly from the 4.1% rate posted a year ago.

The state’s monthly unemployment rate has been falling since April, the first full month after the coronavirus pandemic hit the state. That month, Ohio posted it’s highest ever unemployment rate, 16.8%.

Nationally, the unemployment rate is 13.3%.

The number of unemployed workers in Ohio last month was 631,426, not far off from March’s level of 623,000, when the virus hit the Buckeye State in the middle of the month.

Most industries in Ohio posted an increased in employment in June, with 208,000 nonagricultural jobs added statewide, bringing the total to 4.8 million workers. The sectors adding the most jobs were private services (165,700), leisure and hospitality (82,300), and accommodation and food service (74,900).

Goods-producing businesses added 29,600 jobs, trades, transportation and utilities added 29,300 and manufacturing added 28,900. 

The only sectors with decreased employment from May were real estate (down 100 jobs), federal government (down 200), finance and insurance (-600), financial activities (-700), wholesale trade (-900) and company management (-1,100).

Year-over-year, every sector in Ohio has posted job losses, with arts, entertainment and recreation taking the biggest hit with 46.76% of workers – 38,200 – losing their jobs. Following are leisure and hospitality (down 30.04%, 170,800 jobs lost) and accommodation and food service (down 27.24%, 132,600 jobs lost).

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.