COLUMBUS — Ohio’s unemployment rate was 8.4% in September, down from 8.9% in August. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 41,500 over the month, from a revised 5,146,700 in August to 5,188,200 in September 2020.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in September was 472,000, down from 510,000 in August. The number of unemployed has increased by 232,000 in the past 12 months from 240,000. The September unemployment rate for Ohio increased from 4.1% in September 2019.

The U.S. unemployment rate for September was 7.9%, down from 8.4% in August, and up from 3.5% in September 2019.

Total Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 41,500 over the month, from a revised 5,146,700 in August to 5,188,200 in September, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 886,000, increased 3,500 over the month with gains in manufacturing (+3,100), construction (+300), and mining and logging (+100).

The private service-providing sector, at 3,565,900 increased 34,900 with gains in leisure and hospitality (+12,400), professional and business services (+9,600), trade, transportation, and utilities (+5,600), educational and health services (+2,800), other services (+2,800), information (+1,300), and financial activities (+400).

Government employment, at 736,300, increased 3,100 as gains in local government (+8,300) exceeded losses in state (-3,500) and federal (-1,700) government.

From September 2019 to September 2020, nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 403,700. Employment in goods-producing industries decreased 53,700. Manufacturing lost 38,200 jobs as losses in durable goods (-40,100) surpassed gains in nondurable goods (+1,900). Construction decreased 13,700 jobs and mining and logging lost 1,800 jobs.

Employment in the private service-providing sector decreased 298,800 with losses in leisure and hospitality (-131,000), trade, transportation, and utilities (-55,100), professional and business services (-53,800), educational and health services (-34,600), financial activities (-14,300), other services (-7,700), and information (-2,300).

Government employment decreased 51,200 as losses in local (-32,300) and state (-25,900) government outpaced gains in federal government (+7,000).

20K new claims

Ohioans filed 20,090 initial jobless claims last week, according to statistics the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported to the U.S. Dept. of Labor Thursday.

This was 254,125 fewer than – or about 7% of – the peak earlier this year. Ohioans filed 287,049 continued jobless claims last week, which was 489,253 fewer than – or less than half (about 37%) of – the peak earlier this year.

The total number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last 30 weeks — 1,772,416 — was more than the combined total of those filed during the last four years.