Ohio and U.S. Employment Situation (Seasonally Adjusted)

Ohio's unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in December, up from 7.3 percent in November. Ohio's nonfarm wage and salary employment decreased 33,400 over the month, from a revised November total of 5,363,100 to 5,329,700 in December.

"Job losses accelerated in December," ODJFS Director Douglas Lumpkin said. "The unemployment rate rose to 7.8 percent as job losses increased in both the goods-producing and service-providing industries."

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 465,000, up from 435,000 in November. The number of unemployed has increased by 118,000 in the past 12 months from 347,000. The December unemployment rate for Ohio was up from 5.8 percent in December 2007.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 7.2 percent, up from 6.8 percent in November.

Total Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Ohio's nonagricultural wage and salary employment fell 33,400 over the month, from 5,363,100 in November to 5,329,700 in December, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by ODJFS.

Goods-producing industries dropped 24,700 to 942,800. Losses in durable goods (-12,100) and nondurable goods (-3,700) reduced manufacturing 15,800. Construction was down 8,900. Natural resources and mining was virtually unchanged. Service-providing industries, at 4,386,900, fell 8,700 over the month. Professional and business services dropped 7,800. Other declining industries were trade, transportation, and utilities (-1,100), government (-1,000), information (-400), other services ( 400), and financial activities (-100). Increases in employment were noted in leisure and hospitality (+1,200) and educational and health services (+900).

Over the past 12 months, nonagricultural wage and salary employment fell 89,000. Goods-producing industries dropped 61,000 due chiefly to losses in manufacturing (-34,900 in durable goods and 7,400 in nondurable goods). Construction was 19,100 lower, while natural resources and mining advanced 400. Service-providing industries lost 28,000 jobs over the year. The largest declines were in professional and business services ( 18,300) and trade, transportation, and utilities (-16,200). Other services (-3,800), information (-1,800), government (-1,800), and financial activities (-700) also had reduced employment. Educational and health services added 10,100 jobs, while leisure and hospitality rose 4,500.

EDITOR'S NOTE: All data cited are produced in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Labor. Data sources include Current Population Survey (U.S. data); Current Employment Statistics Program (nonagricultural wage and salary employment data); and Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program (Ohio unemployment rates). More complete listings of the data appear in the monthly Ohio Labor Market Review. Unemployment rates for all Ohio counties as well as cities with populations of 50,000 or more are presented in the monthly ODJFS Civilian Labor Force Estimates publication. Updated statewide historical data may be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Labor Market Information at (614) 466-1109.

News release dates

A calendar of 2009 release dates is available online at http://lmi.state.oh.us/laus/releases.htm County, city and metropolitan area unemployment rates for December 2008 will be posted online at http://lmi.state.oh.us/laus/current.htm on Tuesday, January 27, 2009. January 2009 unemployment rates and nonagricultural wage and salary data for Ohio will be released by ODJFS on Friday, February 27, 2009. This information and the monthly statistical summaries it is based on are also available at http://jfs.ohio.gov/releases.

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