Statewide jobless numbers unchanged

Ohio unemployment news

COLUMBUS — Unemployment figures in Ohio remained basically the same in March, according to figures released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The March jobless rate was 7.1 percent, the same as Ohio’s revised rate for February, according to the ODJFS.

The figures that don’t look so good have to do with an increase of 1,000 in the number of Ohioans unemployed, while the newest report also shows a loss of 20,400 people working overall. Total unemployment was an estimated 406,000, up from 405,000 in February.

The increase in unemployment was a change from the overall trend during the past year. In the past 12 months, unemployment has fallen 19,000, from 425,000 in March 2013.

Meanwhile, although the number of working Ohioans fell a bit in March, to 5,175,900, that’s still an increase of 35,600 over figures released 12 months ago.

In its summary, the ODJFS noted that manufacturing jobs increased by 1,800, while construction jobs fell 3,300 and service industry jobs were down 15,400, including 6,000 in the leisure and hospitality sector, 4,300 from professional and business services and 3,700 from educational and health services.

Over the past 12 months, the overall rate has been positive, though, with 7,200 manufacturing and 18,800 service industry jobs created since March 2012. Government jobs have decreased by 3,600 during the same time period.

Ohio’s unemployment rate was a half-percent lower than the nation as a whole. U.S. unemployment in March was 7.6 percent, down a tenth of a percent from 7.7 percent in February and six-tenths of a percent lower than the 8.2 percent rate in March 2012.

Although the Ohio unemployment rate hasn’t shown huge changes in 2013, county-by-county rates have been on a roller coaster ride the last couple of months. Van Wert County saw a big increase in its unemployment rate in January, from 7.0 percent in December 2012 to 8.5 percent in January of this year, and then a decrease of nearly a full percent in February, from 8.5 percent to 7.6 percent.

County-by-county jobless rates will be released by the ODJFS this coming Tuesday.