COLUMBUS – As Ohio businesses slowly resume a version of their normal operations, the number of unemployed workers continued to climb last week with more than 1.1 million now idled by the COVID-19 pandemic, which began seven weeks ago.
The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services urges individuals to file their claims online, if possible. Those without internet access can call 1-877-644-6562 (OHIO-JOB) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays
The state reported 61,083 initial claims for unemployment benefits to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, bringing the number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last seven weeks to over 1.1 million, more than the combined total of claims for the last three years, according to data released Thursday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The agency has distributed more than $1.9 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 536,000 Ohioans since March.
The number of weekly claims has declined over the past four weeks, an indication that layoffs, terminations and business closings may be coming to an end, but that may be because there have been very few workers still on the job or businesses still operating after nearly two months of a health crisis that has caused the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades.
Under Gov. Mike DeWine’s phased-in plan to reopen the state’s economy, some workplaces reopened this week with retail stores set to open again next Tuesday.
DeWine promised he would announce on Thursday more details about reopening other businesses, such as restaurants, bars, hair salons and day care centers.
Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week.
Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus began, forcing millions of companies to close their doors and slash their workforces.