COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans applying for unemployment benefits last week climbed to the highest level in a month, according to data the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services provided to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The increase was an illustration of the two-steps-forward-one-step-back progress of the economic recovery in the state, in contrast to improvement in the national unemployment picture.
The state says the 9,302 initial claims for benefits filed last week was 24% more than the previous week and the number of filings for continued claims during the week of Nov. 28 to Dec. 4 was 27% higher, the highest levels since early November.
First-time claims have increased for two consecutive weeks.
The total number of traditional claims filed during the week was 26% higher than the previous week, also the high number in a month.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession.
Claims dropped to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1968, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Ohio’s unemployment rate in October was 5.1%, compared to a national unemployment rate of 4.6%.