COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.8% in March, up from 4.7% in February, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Friday.
Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 7,500 over the month, from a revised 5,685,700 in February to 5,693,200 in March.
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in March was 283,000, up from 277,000 in February. The number of unemployed has increased by 43,000 in the past 12 months from 240,000. The March unemployment rate for Ohio increased 0.7 percentage points from 4.1% in March 2024.
The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 4.2%, up from 4.1% in February and up from 3.9% in March 2024.
In March, the labor force participation rate in Ohio was 62.6%, up from 62.5% in February and up from 62.2% in March 2024. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 62.5%, up from 62.4% in February and down from 62.7% in March 2024.
Employment in goods-producing industries, at 959,200, increased 3,000 over the month in construction; manufacturing; and mining and logging. The private service-providing sector, at 3,944,500, increased 4,300 as gains in leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; private educational and health services; other services; and financial activities surpassed losses in professional and business services and information. Government employment, at 789,500, increased 200, as gains in state and local government exceeded losses in federal government.
From March 2024 to March 2025, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 42,500. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 18,900, led by construction, which added 16,600 jobs. Manufacturing added 2,500 jobs as gains in nondurable goods outpaced losses in durable goods. Mining and logging lost 200 jobs over the year. Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 23,100 as gains in private educational and health services; other services; financial activities; leisure and hospitality; and professional and business services surpassed losses in trade, transportation and utilities and information. Government employment increased 500 as gains in state government outweighed losses in local and federal government.