COLUMBUS — Labor officials and families facing unemployment are holding out hope that January will prove to be better than December. The latest numbers to come out late last week showed the economy shed another 85 thousand jobs, much more than expected.
“For November we are 11th highest among the states and Washington DC in terms of unemployment rates,” says Keith Ewald with the Ohio Bureau of Labor.
Ohio’s workers are among the hardest hit. The latest numbers show unemployment at 10 point six percent. That is just above the national rate of 10 percent.
At the same time, job loss in the buckeye state continues to level off.
“It is still negative, unfortunately, on the national level and we need to get to the positive side to see some improvement in the unemployment rates. But the fact that it is a small number on a national scale is a positive sight.”
According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family services, there are some sectors that added jobs.
“The areas that has had impact over the past year and we don’t track it month by month, but if you look at the year as a whole, has been healthcare and education have both seen gains in employment. And to some extent, at least for some months, the professional service sector.”
The construction and manufacturing industries however, continue to decline. And the growth in jobs is still too small to make a significant impact on unemployment numbers.
“Even if you see modest employment gains, you’re likely to see discouraged workers coming back from the labor force and the unemployment rate remaining relatively high.”
Article courtesy of: wkyc.com
