Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to inch downward.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Friday the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 6.8 percent. That’s down from 6.9 percent in October and 7.1 percent in September.
The unemployment rate is the lowest since August 2008 and down considerably from 8.1 percent in November 2011.
The number of unemployed Ohio residents in November was 391,000, a slight decrease from 396,000 the previous month, according to state data.
State officials have said Ohio’s economy and its job market are getting stronger, though the process is slow.
Ohio’s unemployment rate has remained about a full percentage point below the U.S. rate, which was 7.7 percent in November, down from 8.7 percent a year ago.
The bulk of the 100,400 nonagricultural jobs added statewide during the past year were in the service industries, accounting for 83,000 jobs.
The biggest gains during the 12-month period occurred in educational and health services, which added 25,100 jobs.
Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment rose 1,600 from October to November, from a revised 5,195,900 in October to 5,197,500 in November, according to data released from the state and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Trade, transportation and utilities added the most jobs statewide last month (8,000), while leisure and hospitality, construction, government, professional and business services and information industries lost jobs.
Gains also were seen in financial activities, education and health services and manufacturing, while mining and logging remained unchanged over the month.