COLUMBUS, Ohio — New state economic data released Friday shows that Ohio added jobs in July. But it also shows that Ohio’s unemployment rate rose for the fifth consecutive month.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio added 2,200 full- and part-time jobs in July, compared to the revised June estimate, bringing the total number of employed people to 5,669,700.
Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in July, up from 4.4% in June. The state’s unemployment rate has been steadily increasing since January and February, when it was 3.7%.
One of the reasons for the higher unemployment rate is that more people are looking for work.
The number of employed people, that is, people who have a job or are looking for work, grew by 22,000 in July and 21,000 in June. It now stands at 5,860,000 people, 63,000 more than in January. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were about 5,918,000 people looking for work in Ohio.
In July, 264,000 workers were unemployed in Ohio, compared to 254,000 in June.
Before April, Ohio’s unemployment rate had been below 4 percent for 16 consecutive months and had even fallen to 3.3 percent – a record low for the state.
The number of jobs is based on the number of full-time or part-time jobs in Ohio. The unemployment rate is based on the employment status of Ohio residents who are working or looking for work.
Sean McDonnell is a business reporter for cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. You can reach him at [email protected].
