COLUMBUS – Ohio’s unemployment rate in August was unchanged from July as more Ohioans searched for jobs but struggled to find them and layoffs continued.
The jobless rate last month remained at 5.4%, according to data released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The number of Ohioans who reported they were working fell by 2,400 from a revised 5.348 million in July to 5.346 million in August, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the department and the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The number of those claiming unemployment benefits increased by 5,000 to 305,000 though the number of unemployed Ohioans has decreased by 218,000 in the past 12 months.
From August 2020 to last month, employment increased 113,500. but analysts say Ohio has failed to recover nearly 270,000 jobs that were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession.
The labor force participation rate in Ohio rose to 60.8% in August.
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JobWatch: Policymakers end jobless benefits to 240,000 as Ohio loses jobs in August
September 17, 2021
JobWatch: Policymakers end jobless benefits to 240,000 as Ohio loses jobs in August
September 17, 2021
The numbers: Seasonally adjusted data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) show that Ohio employers cut 2,400 jobs over the month, from an upwardly revised 5,348,300 in July to 5,345,900 in August. Preliminary numbers are subject to revision, but August’s estimate shows sorely-needed progress made in June and July may be reversing. So far, Ohio employers have added 68,100 jobs this year. Ohio’s monthly growth rate averaged over the last six months is 0.14%, compared with 0.45% for the U.S. Ohio remains 264,000 jobs below our pre-COVID number in February 2020.
The household survey: According to the separate household survey, 33,000 Ohioans entered the workforce last month. Most — 29,000 — were hired, while 5,000 were not. Ohio’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.4%, slightly above the national rate of 5.2%.
August job losses could reflect the surge in COVID-19 cases driven by infections of unvaccinated Ohioans and breakthrough cases of the delta variant. Ohio’s seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases surged eightfold to 2,237 the week ending August 12 — the reference week when people are surveyed for the unemployment rate — compared with the week ending July 12, when new cases averaged 285. As of yesterday, the moving average was 7,268, a level not seen since January 2021, before vaccines were available.
“Uncontrolled COVID and the expiration of lifelines like Pandemic Unemployment Compensation are continued threats to the safety and security of Ohio’s families and working people,” said Policy Matters Ohio researcher, Michael Shields. “Policymakers must continue to support working people and those displaced from work to drive a robust recovery that reaches everyone.”
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits were allowed to expire for 240,273 gig workers, independent contractors and workers who were not paid enough to qualify for traditional benefits as COVID-19 cases surged and hiring faltered, said Michael Shields of Policy Matters Ohio.