COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate in February remained static for the third consecutive month at 5.1 percent, according to data released by the state Friday.
The jobless rate was unchanged from December and January, but was down from 6.2 percent in February 2014, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The U.S. unemployment rate for February was 5.5 percent.
Employers added 3,300 in February, led by the goods-producing sector, which added 4,200 jobs, mostly in construction and manufacturing. Government employment also increased by 6,100 jobs.
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in February was down by 2,000 from January and has decreased by 66,000 in the past 12 months, the department said.
The service sector shed 7,000 jobs. Hardest hit were professional, business, educational and health services. Those losses overshadowed the 5,400 jobs gained in leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation, and utilities, the report showed.
An encouraging sign was in the size of the state’s labor force, which saw its first increase since September, to 5.75 million. The labor force is the total number of employed Ohioans added to those actively looking for work and an increase is a sign of optimism.