Ohio’s jobless rate has risen slowly and steadily throughout 2013 and is now higher than the U.S. unemployment rate, the latest results released Friday show.
The state’s unemployment rate for October hit 7.5 percent, up from 7.4 percent in September and 7.3 percent in August, the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services reported.
The rate a year ago was 6.9 percent. The rates were adjusted to take into account seasonal factors.
Ohio’s unemployment rate was 7 percent in January and has climbed slowly since.
The U.S. unemployment rate in October was 7.3 percent, up from 7.2 percent in September and down from 7.9 percent a year ago.
The release of these latest unemployment figures was delayed by the recent federal government shutdown.
The latest jobs numbers were disappointing and show Ohio’s rate of recovery is slowing down, said George Zeller, economic research analyst in Cleveland.
While Ohio’s unemployment rate rose, there were more people employed in October than in September. There were 5,204,800 people counted as working last month, up 2,400 from September.
And while the number of people counted as working increased, the number of jobless people also went up. There were 427,000 people unemployed in October, up 2,000 from September and up 31,000 from a year ago.
“The actual job growth figure for September was only 200 jobs statewide in Ohio,” Zeller wrote in a note. “The actual job growth figure for October was another slow increase of 2,400 jobs statewide in Ohio. So, we continue to recover, with Ohio job growth in September and October 2013.
But that job growth continues to be too slow, and is well below the simultaneous rate of job growth and recovery in the United States.”
Ohio is down 233,400 jobs from June 2007 — the pre-Great Recession peak — and is down 431,400 jobs since May 2000, Zeller said.
“All in all, after all of that waiting for some figures, the data released today are highly disappointing,” Zeller said.
The October jobs figures showed:
• Goods-producing industries added 2,300 jobs to 849,100.
• Construction rose by 1,300; manufacturing was up 900; and mining and logging added 100.
• The private service sector added 6,400 to 3,615,800.
• Trade, transportation, and utilities rose by 3,500; leisure and hospitality added 3,000; financial activities rose 1,000; and other services added 1,000. Professional and business services jobs fell by 1,200; educational and health services dropped 600; and information was down by 300.
• Government employment fell by 6,300 jobs to 739,900. Local governments lost 4,300 jobs; state dropped by 1,400 and federal fell by 600.
County and city unemployment rates are scheduled to be released on Tuesday.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com