Ohio unemployment rate remains steady

VW independent/submitted information

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in January 2017, unchanged from a revised 5.0 percent in December 2016. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 2,100 over the month, from a revised 5,503,700 in December 2016 to 5,501,600 in January of this year.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 287,000, up 3,000 from 284,000 in December. The number of unemployed has increased by 4,000 in the past 12 months from 283,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio did not change from one year ago.

The U.S. unemployment rate for January 2017 was 4.8 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than in December 2016, and 0.1 percentage points lower than in January 2016.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 2,100 over the month, from a revised 5,503,700 in December 2016 to 5,501,600 in January 2017, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.

Goods-producing industries, at 913,000, added 9,900 jobs in construction (+7,800), manufacturing (+1,900), and mining and logging (+200). The private service-providing sector, at 3,817,100, lost 11,900 jobs.

Employment losses in educational and health services (-10,800), leisure and hospitality (-4,400), other services (-1,600), and information (-700) surpassed gains in financial activities (+4,500), trade, transportation, and utilities (+900), and professional and business services (+200). Government employment, at 771,500, decreased 100 as losses in federal government (-700) outweighed gains in local government (+600). State government did not change from December.

From January 2016 to January 2017, nonagricultural wage and salary employment grew 31,100. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 6,100. Manufacturing added 3,500 jobs as gains in nondurable goods (+6,400) surpassed losses in durable goods (-2,900). Construction added 3,400 jobs. Mining and logging lost 800 jobs. The private service-providing sector added 28,300 jobs.

Employment gains in educational and health services (+8,100), financial activities (+8,000), trade, transportation, and utilities (+7,200), professional and business services (+3,900), leisure and hospitality (+1,700), and information (+1,100) exceeded losses in other services (-1,700). Government employment decreased 3,300 as losses in local (-3,600) and state (-500) government outweighed gains in federal government (+800).