COLUMBUS – The unemployment rate in central Ohio increased to 3.7 percent in May from a 16-year low of 3.4 percent in April, according to data released Tuesday by the state.
Although the unemployment rate was unchanged from a year ago, Columbus area employers have added 16,000 jobs, absorbing almost all of the workers who have joined the work force, according to monthly data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
There were 39,500 area workers looking for jobs in May, 300 more than in April, but when statewide unemployment figures were released earlier this month, analysts said an increase in joblessness was due in large part to factory layoffs that are expected to be temporary.
At 3.7 percent, Columbus enjoys the lowest unemployment rate of any of Ohio’s major cities. Cleveland, at 6.1 percent, has the highest.
The unemployment rate in the 10 counties that make up the Columbus statistical area is lowest in union County (3.4 percent) and highest in Perry County (5.0).
The statewide unemployment rate last month was 4.9 percent, higher than the nationwide rate of 4.3 percent.