COLUMBUS – First-time claims for unemployment benefits remained unchanged in Ohio last week as the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits remains near five-decade lows.
The 8,293 Ohioans who filed first-time unemployment claims during the week that ended on May 21 was only 75 more than the week before, according to data the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shared with the U.S. Department of Labor Thursday.
The four-week average of initial claims filings was 41% lower than it was a month ago.
Ohioans filed 30,253 continued traditional unemployment claims last week, a mere 25 more than the previous week.
The total number of traditional claims filed during the week was 38,546.
American workers are enjoying historically strong job security two years after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the economy into a short but devastating recession.
Weekly applications for unemployment aid have been consistently below the pre-pandemic level of 225,000 for most of 2022.
Even though consumers and businesses kept spending at a solid pace, the U.S. government reported Thursday in a slight downgrade of its previous estimate of economic growth for the January-March quarter.
Last quarter’s 1.5% drop in the U.S. gross domestic product does not likely signal the start of a recession.