COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s unemployment rate for July ticked up slightly last month while the employment outlook was bright in central Ohio for the three months that ended in June.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released last month’s job figures on Friday showing the state’s unemployment rate at 5.7 percent. That’s up from the seasonally adjusted rate in May and June of 5.5 percent and comes after job reports for the last two months showed the rate at its lowest level since before the Great Recession.
The state’s unemployment rate remained below the nation’s jobless rate, which was 6.2 percent for July.
The data shows 12,400 jobs lost over the last month while the number of unemployed workers rose by 7,000.
Last year, July’s unemployment rate was 7.5 percent.
Long one of the state’s brightest economic spots, central Ohio’s employment increased at twice the rate of the rest of Ohio during the second quarter of the, according to a report from a regional economic development agency.
The Columbus metropolitan area added 8,200 jobs between March and June, ahead of Ohio’s increase of 0.4 percent and the U.S. increase of 0.6 percent, according to the economic update report from Columbus 2020.
Unemployment in the Columbus area declined to 4.6 percent.
“Quarter after quarter, the Columbus region continues to report increased jobs and decreased unemployment rates that surpass national improvement,” says Kenny McDonald, Columbus 2020 chief economic officer.
The biggest gains were in business services and retail, together bringing in almost 9,000 jobs, most of them in administrative support and corporate administration positions making up the majority of jobs gained, McDonald said.
Manufacturing in the Columbus area also saw strong growth with a 0.9 percent increase, but employment in the government sector declined 1.1 percent because of a decrease of 2,500 jobs in local government, McDonald said.
According to the report, home sales were down 8.8 percent from the same three-month period in 2013 while prices were up 8.0 percent, reflecting a tight supply.