Ohio Jobless Rate Hits New 17-Year-Low in April

By Mark Williams, Columbus Dispatch

Ohio’s jobless rate hit a fresh 17-year-low in April as more people joined the state’s labor force and all of them found work, the state said Friday.

The unemployment rate was 4.3 percent last month, down from 4.4 percent in March 2018 and the lowest since July 2001 when the rate was 4.2 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The rate remains above the U.S. of 3.9 percent.

Last month, 7,000 people joined the labor force and 11,000 found jobs, the state data show. The number of jobless workers dropped to 249,000 last month.

The lower rate came even as employers cut 1,000 jobs in the state last month.

The monthly jobless report is made up of two surveys: one of households and a second one of employers, and they don’t always move in the same direction.

Gains of 2,500 jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities sectors and 2,300 in professional and business services were offset by job losses in several categories: 2,900 jobs in leisure and hospitality; 1,800 jobs in manufacturing; 1,700 jobs in finance; and 1,400 jobs in government.

The loss in jobs last month comes after a good start in 2018 with the state adding 42,400 jobs since December.