Ohio added 12,200 jobs in November; unemployment rate fell to 4.8%

Ohio’s unemployment rate keeps falling,

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) on Friday, Dec. 17, reported that the jobless rate dropped to 4.8% in November from 5.1% in October. Nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 12,200 over the month, to 5,391,100 in November from a revised 5,378,900 in October, according to ODJFS data.

ODJFS reported that the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in November was 275,000, down from 289,000 in October. The number of unemployed in Ohio has decreased by 45,000 in the past 12 months, from 320,000 in November 2020, when the state’s unemployment rate was 5.6%.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for November was 4.2%, down from 4.6% in October and from 6.7% in November 2020.

ODJFS said the November labor force participation rate in Ohio was 61.3%, up from 61.2% in October but down from 61.9% in November 2020. The U.S. labor force participation rate for November was 61.8.

Here’s a breakdown of November employment in Ohio by sectors, based on the ODJFS data:

• Employment in goods-producing industries, at 901,600, increased 3,200 over the month as gains in construction (+2,800) and manufacturing (+500) surpassed losses in mining and logging (-100).

• The private service-providing sector, at 3,733,300, increased 8,100. Gains in leisure and hospitality (+8,000); professional and business services (+2,200); trade, transportation and utilities (+1,400); information (+400) and other services (+400) outpaced losses in educational and health services (-3,200) and financial activities (-1,100).

• Government employment, at 756,200, increased 900, as gains in federal government (+1,000) exceeded losses in state government (-100). Local government employment did not change over the month, according to ODJFS.

The Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank based in Columbus that typically issues an assessment of ODJFS’ monthly data, called the November report “good news for the Buckeye State,” citing improvement in the labor force participation rate and job additions in the private sector.

It said that while Ohio “has experienced two consecutive strong months of job growth, the state’s economic recovery is still fragile and is threatened by supply chain issues, high inflation, and vaccine mandates that could force employers — who are already struggling to find enough workers — to fire good employees.”