State unemployment now under 5 percent

VW independent/ODJFS information

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in December 2014, down from 5.0 percent in November 2014. Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment increased 5,100 over the month, from a revised 5,325,300 in November to 5,330,400 in December.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 278,000, down 9,000 from 287,000 in November. The number of unemployed has decreased by 133,000 in the past 12 months from 411,000. The December unemployment rate for Ohio was down from 7.1 percent in December 2013.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 5.6 percent, down from 5.8 percent in November and down from 6.7 percent in December 2013.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 5,100 over the month, from a revised 5,325,300 in November to 5,330,400 in December, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 880,500, increased 2,900 from November due to gains in manufacturing (+1,500) and construction (+1,400). Mining and logging employment did not change over the month. The private service-providing sector, at 3,695,600, added 3,400 jobs.

Employment gains in leisure and hospitality (+7,100), professional and business services (+3,800), and educational and health services (+2,500) surpassed losses in trade, transportation, and utilities (-6,200), other services (-1,900), financial activities (-1,200), and information (-700).

Government employment, at 754,300, decreased 1,200 as losses in state (-1,000) and local (-500) government outweighed gains in federal government (+300).

From December 2013 to December 2014, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 61,500. Goods-producing industries added 14,900 jobs. Manufacturing increased 16,400 in durable goods (+11,900) and nondurable goods (+4,500). Mining and logging employment increased 1,000. Construction employment decreased 2,500. The private service-providing sector added 46,300 jobs over the year.

Employment gains occurred in professional and business services (+19,100), leisure and hospitality (+16,800), educational and health services (+10,900), other services (+2,800), and trade, transportation, and utilities (+600).

Employment losses were seen in information (-2,300) and financial activities (-1,600). Government employment increased 300 as gains in state (+1,600) and federal (+1,100) government exceeded losses in local government employment (-2,400).