COLUMBUS – Ohio’s unemployment rate increased from 4.1 percent in February to 5.5 in March, it’s highest level in five years, reflecting the first massive wave of job losses blamed on the coronavirus pandemic.
The state net job losses totaled 39,700 over the month, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The service- sector lost 36,300, most of them in leisure and hospitality as state health department orders shut restaurants and bars (March 15); hair salons, day spas and nail salons (March 20) and finally ordered Ohioans to remain at home except for essential errands, (March 22).
The March 2019 unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced that he was planning to implement a phased-in reopening of Ohio industries and businesses beginning on May 1, the day the shelter-in-place order is set to expire.
The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 4.4 percent, up from 3.5 percent in February and 3.8 percent in March 2019.
Nationwide, the government says the crisis has idled at least 22 million Americans — about 1 in 7 workers — in the four weeks since mid-March, easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record.
President Trump outlined a phased approach to reopening businesses in parts of the country where the coronavirus is being brought under control.