COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose for the second week in a row, indicating an uptick in layoffs is continuing.
Ohioans filed 13,470 initial unemployment claims during the week that ended on March 12, which was 13% more than the previous week, according to data the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shared with the U.S. Department of Labor Thursday.
The national picture was a different one. Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, as layoffs continue to decline amid a strong job market rebound.
The overall job market in the state is slightly better. The 52,714 continued claims filed last in Ohio week was 7% lower than the week before and the total number of traditional claims was down 3.8%.
The four-week average for claims, which compensates for weekly volatility, fell for the third time in the last four weeks.
Seasonally adjusted numbers show that, although the state’s unemployment rate fell in January, Ohio had 192,200 fewer jobs than in February 2020, just before COVID public health protections and business closings began.
The 5.42 million jobs was approximately similar to the number recorded in June 2015. Ohio has never recovered all the jobs lost in the early 2000s recession, Policy Matters Ohio researcher Michael Shields said.