COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose for the third consecutive week, despite signs that the nation’s job market remains strong.
There were 12,349 initial filings for jobless benefits in Ohio during the week that ended on Jan. 1, 3.3% higher than the week before and the largest number since Sept. 18, according to data supplied by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday.
The 48,846 filings for continued claims was 14.5% higher than the week that ended on Dec. 25. The state processed a total of 61,195 claims last week, the highest number since the federal pandemic unemployment insurance program ended in Ohio at the end of September.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remained at historically low levels.
A record 4.5 million American workers quit their jobs in November, a sign of confidence and more evidence that the U.S. job market is bouncing back strongly from last year’s coronavirus recession.
The Labor Department also reports that employers posted 10.6 million job openings in November, down from 11.1 million in October but still high by historical standards.
In its monthly Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey the Labor Department also reported that employers hired 6.7 million people in November, up from 6.5 million in October.