As jobless rates go, Ohio is in a rut.
The August state unemployment rate, released Friday, came in at 7.2 percent. That’s the same rate for July and for June.
However, the rate is down from 8.8 percent a year ago and remains the lowest the state has seen since 7 percent in September 2008.
The state’s jobless figures show that even as rates have dropped this year and while there has been job growth, there remain significantly fewer people at work in Ohio now than in the recent past.
The number of people working nonfarm jobs in August totaled 5,187,600, down 2,000 from July, according to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The number of unemployed people in August was 413,000, down from 418,000 in July.
The figures were adjusted to take into account seasonal variations. The unemployment rate does not count people who have stopped looking for work or are working part time but want full-time work.
For example, in August 2008, when the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent, Ohio’s labor force totaled 5,949,000. There were 5,356,700 people counted as working.
The latest August report shows a labor force of 5,752,000 and a decrease of 169,100 jobs from four years ago.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in August, down from 8.3 percent in July and down from 9.1 percent in August 2011.
Ohio’s jobless rate this year peaked at 7.7 percent in January.
Ohio service industry jobs totaled 4,332,800, down 4,200 from July.
Trade, transportation and utilities jobs fell by 7,100; educational and health services jobs dropped 4,800; other services fell 200. Leisure and hospitality added 3,500; professional and business services were up 2,200; financial activities added 1,200; government was up 900; and information added 100.
Goods-producing industry jobs totaled 854,800, up 2,200 from July. Construction added 2,600. Mining and logging lost 300 and manufacturing was down 100.
The latest jobs report shows Ohio has gained 93,300 jobs this year, said George Zeller, a Cleveland economic research analyst.
Those job gains might prove to be temporary once the labor figures undergo final revisions, he cautioned.
Discouraged workers, who are not counted as unemployed because they have stopped seeking work, grew by 61,000 in recent months, Zeller said.
“This is another measure of the need to speed up the rate of recovery in Ohio,” he said in a note.
Zeller said that at the current rate of recovery, it will take Ohio 11 years to gain back the 232,800 jobs it lost during what he calls the state’s decade-long recession.
Wage cuts are hurting the state’s recovery, he said.
“The average wage of an Ohio job was cut by 4.9 percent, from $46,321 in 2010 to $44,470 in 2011,” Zeller said. “Wages were cut by Ohio firms in virtually all industries.”
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.