COLUMBUS – First-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 32% last week, the steepest weekly decline in nearly a month as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic recession, despite increases in cases of COVID-19 due to the omicron variant.
Ohioans filed 10,313 initial jobless claims during the week that ended on Jan. 29, 4,845 fewer than the previous week, according to data the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services provided to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The agency process 60,213 continued unemployment claims, virtually unchanged from the week before, but the total number of Ohioans filing claims fell 6.8% to 70,526.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 23,000, the second straight weekly decline after three straight weeks of increases.
A record number of American workers reportedly quit their jobs in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many leaving for higher-paying jobs or those with better benefits, but some left the work force due to difficulty finding child care or to care for elderly family members.