COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans filing initial traditional unemployment claims fell to a post-pandemic low last week as a sometimes uneven economic recovery continues.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported to the U.S. Department of Labor Thursday that there were 8,182 first-time claims filed during the week ending August 21, 15.5% fewer than the week before and 136,163 continued claims were filed, a 4.6% decline.
The total number of claims filed from Aug. 15 through Aug. 21 was 362,454, 3.7% fewer than the previous week.
The July unemployment rate in Ohio was 5.4%, up from 5.2% in June as more people entered the job market than found employment.
The state added over 19,000 jobs in July, but there are still fewer jobs in Ohio than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic began, researcher Michael Shields of the liberal-leaning Policy Matters Ohio said.
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has helped the economy — encouraging businesses to reopen or expand hours and luring consumers out of their homes to restaurants, bars and shops.
Nationally, jobless claims rose for first time in five weeks, climbing by 4,000 to 353,000.