This July, Ohio reached a critical milestone. The state posted the largest number of jobs in its history: 5,639,200. Reaching this benchmark was especially important because the previous peak was more than 23 years ago, in May 2000. The July jobs number is preliminary, so we could learn that the
The takeaway: Ohio reached a record high number of jobs in July, recovering the May 2000 job peak for the first time in 23 years. The state’s unemployment rate set a new record low for the fourth straight month, reaching 3.3% in July. Inflation rose 0.2 points to 3.2% for
The takeaway: Ohio added 1,000 jobs in June after fully recovering pre-COVID job levels in May. The state’s unemployment rate set a new record low for the third straight month, reaching 3.4% in June. This is due to a combination of strong job growth and a slightly smaller workforce than
All work should pay enough to live a good life. All working people should be able to provide for their families, no matter their race or gender, the kind of job they do, or where they live and work. For years, too many of Ohio’s most common jobs paid so
Three of Ohio’s 10 most common occupations pay so little that the median worker would qualify for food aid for a family of three. In some areas, up to half of the 10 most common occupations paid so little. New analysis by Policy Matters Ohio of Bureau of Labor Statistics
Today, we celebrate dads across Ohio on Father’s Day. Like Mother’s Day, it is a day to celebrate families of all types. Yet tens of thousands of Ohio children will not get the opportunity to spend Father’s Day with their dads, because their fathers have been removed from their homes
The takeaway: Ohio fully recovered the jobs lost to COVID-19 last month, reaching 5,614,600 jobs, 800 more than in February 2020, the month before the COVID-19 shutdown. The milestone recovers 881,600 jobs lost between February and April 2020. Ohio’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.6% in May, the lowest rate on
Good morning, Chair Huffman, Vice Chair Johnson, Ranking Member Antonio and members of the Subcommittee. My name is Michael Shields and I am a senior researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization with the mission of creating a more prosperous, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio. Thank you
Everyone who works deserves the opportunity to thrive, with a job that pays a livable wage and offers the benefits people need to manage work and family. Many Ohio working people have been left out. A New Way Forward is the policy prescription to solve some of the biggest challenges
Policy Matters Ohio celebrates May Day with pro-labor platform Policy Matters Ohio today released a policy plan that would build on the recovery of Ohio’s jobs to nearly pre-COVID levels, strengthen workplace protections and improve conditions for working people throughout the state. A New Way Forward identifies 10 pro-worker principles
The takeaway: Ohio added jobs last month to attain a full private sector recovery of jobs lost to COVID-19. Gains in better-paying sectors outweighed a lingering 20,800 jobs shortfall in leisure and hospitality to attain the private sector recovery. Missing public sector jobs are now the only thing standing in
The takeaway: Ohio added jobs last month on top of substantial gains reported for 2022 when data were benchmarked earlier this month. Public sector job shortfalls now comprise two thirds of the jobs still missing from the state since COVID-19. Unemployment dipped to 3.9% as 14,000 Ohioans returned to the
