Ohio unemployment decreases slightly

VW independent/submitted information

Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in May 2017, down from 5 percent in April 2017. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 6,300 over the month, from a revised 5,509,100 in April to 5,515,400 in May 2017.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in May was 286,000, down 2,000 from 288,000 in April. The number of unemployed has increased by 4,000 in the past 12 months from 282,000. The May unemployment rate for Ohio, at 4.9 percent, did not change from May 2016.

The U.S. unemployment rate for May 2017 was 4.3 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than in April 2017, and 0.4 percentage points lower than in May 2016.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 6,300 over the month, from a revised 5,509,100 in April to 5,515,400 in May 2017, 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 905,700, decreased 5,600 over the month as losses in manufacturing (-3,600) and construction (-2,100) exceeded gains in mining and logging (+100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,836,100, increased 5,200.

Employment gains in professional and business services (+7,000), educational and health services (+6,500), other services (+2,900), and financial activities (+1,900) surpassed losses in leisure and hospitality (-6,000), trade, transportation, and utilities (-5,900), and information (-1,200). Government employment, at 773,600, increased 6,700 in state (+5,000), local (+1,300), and federal (+400) government.

From May 2016 to May 2017, nonagricultural wage and salary employment grew 41,100. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 4,500. Construction added 4,900 jobs. Manufacturing lost 400 jobs as losses in durable goods (-1,800) surpassed gains in nondurable goods (+1,400). Mining and logging employment did not change over the year. The private service-providing sector added 38,700 jobs.

Employment gains in educational and health services (+22,800), professional and business services (+11,300), financial activities (+6,300), leisure and hospitality (+2,500), and information (+900) exceeded losses in trade, transportation, and utilities (-5,100). Employment in other services did not change over the year. Government employment decreased 2,100 as losses in state government (-2,900) outweighed gains in federal (+700) and local (+100) government.