COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in December 2021, down from 4.8% in November.
Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 8,800 over the month, from a revised 5,396,600 in November to 5,405,400 in December 2021.
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 256,000, down from 275,000 in November. The number of unemployed has decreased by 65,000 in the past 12 months from 321,000.
The December unemployment rate for Ohio decreased from 5.6% in December 2020.
The U.S. unemployment rate for December 2021 was 3.9%, down from 4.2% in November 2021, and down from 6.7% in December 2020.
In December, the labor force participation rate in Ohio was 61.5%, up from 61.3% in November 2021 and down from 62.2% in December 2020. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 61.9%, unchanged from 61.9% in November and up from 61.5% in December 2020.
Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 8,800 over the month, from a revised 5,396,600 in November to 5,405,400 in December, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).
Employment in goods-producing industries, at 907,800, increased 5,000 over the month as gains in construction
(+5,700) exceeded losses in manufacturing (-600) and mining and logging (-100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,744,000, increased 6,600 as gains in professional and business services (+6,600); trade, transportation, and utilities (+2,600); other services (+1,200); and educational and health services (+300) surpassed losses in financial activities (-2,600); leisure and hospitality (-1,300); and information (-200).
Government employment, at 753,600, decreased 2,800 with losses in state (-2,000); local (-500); and federal (-300) government.
From December 2020 to December 2021, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 127,600. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 18,900. Manufacturing added 2,700 jobs in nondurable goods (+2,300) and durable goods (+400). Construction added 17,100 jobs, and mining and logging lost 900. Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 98,000.
Employment gains in leisure and hospitality (+47,600); trade, transportation, and utilities (+25,700); professional and business services (+24,900); information (+1,900); and other services (+1,500) outpaced losses in financial activities (-2,600) and educational and health services (-1,000).
Government employment increased 10,700 as gains in local (+10,500) and federal (+300) government outweighed losses in state government (-100).
