COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped 19% last week to a pandemic-era low of 10,473.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported 2,480 fewer initial claims than the previous week to the U.S. Department of Labor.
There were 9,318 fewer claims for continued traditional benefits, though the number of filings for continued Pandemic Unemployment Assistance grew by more than 9,000 for the reporting period that+ ended on June 26, the final day when the state planned to award $300 federally funded weekly supplemental payments.
The total number of claims filed from June 20 through June 26, 2021, was 449,497, a 0.04% decline from the week before.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the job market and the broader economy are rebounding rapidly from the coronavirus recession.
Jobless claims dropped by 51,000 to 364,000.
The rollout of vaccines has sharply reduced new COVID-19 cases, giving consumers the confidence to shop, travel, eat out and attend public events as the economy recovers.