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Dayton
Business Journal...
Ohio
unemployment falls to 7.3%
by Rick
Rouan, Web coordinator
Friday,
June 15, 2012
Unemployment
in Ohio inched down for the tenth consecutive month in May, hitting its
lowest
rate since October 2008 as more people went to work and fewer stood in
the
unemployment line.
The state’s
unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent last month, down from 7.4
percent in
April, according to data released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job
and
Family Services. Unemployment was at 8.8 percent in May 2011.
“It’s so
encouraging that Ohioans are getting back to work. Things are heading
in the
right direction and that’s great to see, but we’re far from being out
of the
woods,” Gov. John Kasich said in a release. “Headwinds from Washington
don’t
help and I remain concerned about our future progress. The best thing
that can
happen is for Ohio to continue pursuing the jobs-friendly policies that
are
tearing down barriers to job creation and for Washington to learn from
our
progress.”
Employment
in the state increased by 19,600 from about 5.14 million in April to
about 5.16
million in May. The number of unemployed workers fell from 431,000 in
April to
426,000 in May, a 5,000-worker dropoff, the state said.
Those two data
points come from different surveys — one of households and the other of
business payrolls — and sometimes can paint differing pictures of
statewide
employment.
But this
month, both numbers signaled a brighter jobs outlook in the state,
ODJFS
Spokesman Benjamin Johnson said.
“The
numbers were really good this month. The unemployment rate fell and the
state
added almost 20,000 jobs,” he said. “But I also caution people and
don’t want
people to forget that there are still 426,000 unemployed Ohioans.”
The trade,
transportation and utilities sector lost 2,100 jobs in May, the most of
any
category the state tracks. Government jobs decreased by 1,000
throughout the
state last month.
The biggest
jobs gainer was the professional and business services category, which
added
4,500 jobs. Educational and health services added 4,300 jobs last month.
Johnson
said that, though statewide unemployment numbers are seasonally
adjusted,
seasonal factors do affect what sectors are adding jobs. For example,
the
leisure and hospitality sector netted 2,900 jobs included 4,400 listed
under
arts, entertainment and recreation, he said. Local governments added
2,600
jobs, and that likely includes seasonal operation of municipal golf
courses and
pools, he said.
“That’s driven at least in part by seasonal
work, seasonal recreation work, amusement parks,” Johnson said.
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