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Ohio Unemployment Rate Falls To Lowest Level Since 2001

Workers build Honda Accords at the Honda factory in Marysville,ohio
Steve Brown
/
WOSU
Workers build Honda Accords at the Honda factory in Marysville,ohio

Ohio’s official unemployment rate fell to an 18-year low in May 2019, according to the latest jobs data released by labor officials Friday.

The state’s jobless rate dipped to 4.1% in May, down from 4.2% the previous month.

The May rate is Ohio’s lowest unemployment rate since the June 2001.

The drop came as the number of people officially deemed unemployed shrank by about 8,000 in May. But another survey of employers shows they actually lost jobs in May, with employment rolls shrinking by about 3,900 people.

May was a good month for Ohio manufacturers, which added about 2,400 workers. The biggest job losses came in construction and educational and health services, which lost 2,000 and 2,400 people respectively.

Ohio’s official jobless rate remains well above the nationwide average of 3.6%.

Copyright 2019 WOSU 89.7 NPR News

Steve Brown
Steve Brown grew up in nearby Richwood, Ohio and now lives there with his wife and son. He started his journalism career as a weekend board operator at WOSU while majoring in journalism at Ohio State, where he also wrote for student newspaper The Lantern and co-founded the organization Students for Public Broadcasting.