COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state says Ohio’s unemployment rate in November was down slightly from October at 7.4 percent, the 11th straight month when the rate was at or above 7.0 percent.
Joblessness in Ohio has varied only slightly throughout this year and had been hovering below the U.S. rate, but has been higher than the national rate for the last two months. The national unemployment rate in November was 7.0 percent.
November’s rate in Oho was still well above the seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 6.8 percent in November of last year.
This comes despite encouraging news on the national economic front. The Commerce Department said Friday that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in nearly 2 years.
The 427,000 unemployed workers in Ohio last month was unchanged from October, which was up 2,000 from September, according to data released Friday morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Ohio’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 7.5 percent in October was the highest since March 2012.
The state lost 12,000 jobs last month, as the 12,200 jobs lost in the leisure and hospitality industries in November dragged down the service sector, which shed a net 9,500 jobs. The losses in leisure and hospitality outweighed 7,200 jobs added in educational and health services and trade, transportation, and utilities. The construction industry lost 3,600 jobs, offsetting 500 jobs added in manufacturing. Government added 600 jobs.
Ohio has added 19,800 jobs over the previous year, led by 32,100 service-sector jobs, 2,700 manufacturing jobs but lost 15,400 jobs in the construction industry and in government.