COLUMBUS – State officials say Ohio’s unemployment rate held steady from February to March at 5.1 percent, a bit higher than the national rate and up slightly compared to a year earlier.
The state pointed to a growth in Ohio’s labor force as an indication that workers had confidence in the Ohio economy.
The labor force – the number of people either working or actively seeking employment – jumped by 28,000 in March to 5.77 million, its highest level since April 2011 when Ohio was still climbing up from the depths of recession, according to data released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Since January, 63,000 people have joined the state’s labor force.
The U.S. unemployment rate for last month was 4.5 percent, a bit lower than the rate from February and from March 2016.
The state says Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased by 4,100 last month while the number of unemployed remained steady at 294,000. The state says Ohio employers have added 36,500 jobs in the past year while the number of workers seeking employment grew by 9,000.
The sectors that saw job gains in the state included construction, information, and education and health services. Job losses were reported in categories including professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities.