BLS jobs report on pause during government shutdown: What that means for JobWatch
Where does the data for JobWatch come from? Policy Matters’ JobWatch data comes from the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services’ (ODJFS) Ohio Labor Market Information resources, in particular the Ohio and U.S. Employment Situation data and Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment Estimates. ODJFS releases these data monthly, derived from the Bureau of Labor […]
Moderate job growth in August, Ohio unemployment holds steady
Seasonally adjusted data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) show that Ohio gained 9,900 jobs in August, from a downwardly revised 5,720,300 jobs in July to 5,730,200 in August. The state’s unemployment rate remained steady at 5.0% – among the worst rates in the nation. Inflation increased to 2.9%, […]
Ohio unemployment ticks up, with moderate job gains in July
Ohio employers added 5,400 jobs in July. The state’s unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 percentage points to 5.0%, after holding at 4.9% for three consecutive months – among the worst rates in the U.S. Inflation hovered at 2.7%, no change from June. The takeaway: Ohio saw job growth for a second month in a row, […]
Ohio unemployment holds steady despite reported job gains
Ohio employers gained 10,400 jobs in June. This is a return to trend, following job losses in May. Statewide unemployment remained unchanged at 4.9%, 0.8 percentage points higher than the national rate in June. At the same time, inflation ticked up for the second month in a row after falling for several consecutive months, rising […]
Ohio jobs down after consistent growth, unemployment holds steady
Following six months of reported job gains, Ohio employers shed 6,500 jobs in May. Both statewide and U.S. unemployment remained unchanged, at a rate of 4.9% in Ohio, 0.7 percentage points higher than the national rate in May. At the same time, inflation ticked up after falling for several consecutive months, rising from 2.3% in […]
Ohio gains jobs in April as unemployment rate ticks up
Ohio employers added 22,200 jobs in April, following reported gains in March. Statewide unemployment increased for the fifth consecutive month to 4.9%, while the U.S. unemployment rate remains steady at 4.2%. Ohio’s increasing unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, up 0.9 percentage points since April of 2024 when it was 15th. The […]
Continued job growth and rising unemployment send mixed signals
Ohio employers added 7,500 jobs in March, following strong gains in April. Both statewide and U.S. unemployment increased by 0.1 percentage points in March, though Ohioans are feeling the effects of a tight job market more acutely, with an unemployment rate of 4.8%: 0.6 percentage points higher than the national rate of 4.2%, the seventh-highest […]
Ohio jobs up in February, amid rising unemployment and federal uncertainty
Ohio employers added another 23,100 jobs in February, showing substantial growth in comparison to moderate monthly gains in 2024. Ohio’s unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in February, up 0.1 percentage points from January, while the national unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 4.1%. Inflation remains stubborn at 2.8% in February, down 0.2 percentage points […]
Benchmark data shows Ohio’s job growth over-reported
The takeaway: Benchmark data shows that Ohioans were right in their frustration with the labor market this past year. While Ohio has fully recovered the number of jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, job growth has remained relatively stagnant. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in January, and we can expect further job loss as […]
Despite strong job growth, Ohio unemployment on the rise
Ohio employers added another 6,800 jobs in December, maintaining the strong job growth we’ve seen through 2024. Although Ohio’s job gains this year signal a robust statewide economy, unemployment has continued to rise, as Ohio employers have struggled to keep pace with the number of jobseekers entering the labor force. Ohio unemployment rose to 4.4% […]
Continued job growth in Ohio, unemployment rate holds
Ohio continues to have positive job growth, good news as we enter the holiday season. Ohio employers added 5,500 jobs in November. Employment gains surpassed the number of Ohioans entering the labor force again in November, albeit marginally, leaving unemployment unchanged at 4.3%, compared to the national rate of 4.2%. Inflation rose for the second […]
Ohio unemployment down as job growth continues
Ohio saw strong job growth in October, continuing the positive trends of increasing jobs and a growing labor force. The data suggest Ohioans remain confident in the job market and employers are shifting to meet demand for work. The inflation rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 2.6%, the first uptick in inflation we’ve seen since […]