State unemployment unchanged from Nov.

VW independent/submitted information

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in December 2018, unchanged from November. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 2,900 over the month, from a revised 5,647,900 in November to 5,650,800 in December 2018.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 265,000, up 2,000 from 263,000 in November. The number of unemployed has decreased by 16,000 in the past 12 months from 281,000. The December unemployment rate for Ohio decreased from 4.9 percent in December 2017.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 3.9 percent, up from 3.7 percent in November, and down from 4.1 percent in December 2017.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 2,900 over the month, from a revised 5,647,900 in November to 5,650,800 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 946,400, increased 5,000 over the month, with gains in construction (+2,600), manufacturing (+2,300), and mining and logging (+100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,910,700, lost 5,500 jobs.

Employment losses in professional and business services (-3,700), trade, transportation, and utilities (-1,800), information (-700), and leisure and hospitality (-300) exceeded gains in financial activities (+900) and other services (+100). Educational and health services did not change over the month. Government employment, at 793,700, increased 3,400 as gains in local (+3,000) and state (+700) government surpassed losses in federal government (-300). 

From December 2017 to December 2018, nonagricultural wage and salary employment grew 116,500. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 26,200. Manufacturing added 10,400 jobs in durable goods (+7,500) and nondurable goods (+2,900). Construction added 14,500 jobs and mining and logging added 1,300 jobs. 

Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 78,600 as gains in trade, transportation, and utilities (+22,600), educational and health services (+21,500), leisure and hospitality (+13,900), professional and business services (+12,900), other services (+8,700), and financial activities (+1,200) outweighed losses in information (-2,200). Government employment increased 11,700 with gains in state (+6,100), local (+4,600), and federal (+1,000) government.