Ohio Unemployment Ticks up to 5%

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s unemployment rate in May was 5%, up slightly from 4.7% in April.

In May, Ohioans working nonagricultural jobs dropped 14,800 to 5,289,200, down from 5,304,000 in April, reported the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The total number of unemployed workers in the state increased by 5,000 to 278,000.

That’s still down from the 867,000 unemployed a year ago, when the unemployment rate was 14.9%.

Ohio is doing slightly better than the national unemployment rate for May of 5.8%. The labor force participation rate in Ohio was 59.9% in May, down from 62.3% in April and down from 63% in May 2020. That compares to a national labor force participation rate of 61.6% last month.

Employment in goods-producing industries decreased by 3,900 to 889,100, with losses in manufacturing (down 2,600) and construction (down 1,200).

In the private service-providing sector, employment fell 10,300, as losses in trade, transportation and utilities (down 7,800), financial activities (down 3,400), educational and health services (down 1,000), and professional and business services (down 800) outpaced gains in leisure and hospitality (up 2,300), information (up 200) and other services (up 200).

Government employment fell 600 with gains made in local government (up 100) were outpaced by losses at the state (down 500) and federal (down 200) levels.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will release local unemployment data June 22.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.