They’ve been celebrating in the Governor’s office Friday after a new jobs report for Ohio was released. It shows the unemployment rate in Ohio continues to decline, reaching a record low of 3.5% in July. The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services says that’s the lowest rate we’ve seen since 1976 when unemployment tracking began.
News 5 spoke with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted about the report and learned the industries seeing the most growth in our state include high-tech manufacturing, logistics, health care, and technology.
“We can also help by upskilling or helping more Ohioans upskill themselves whether that’s through apprenticeships, in-demand credentials, career-tech opportunities, community colleges; all of those are helping people get the skills that are more valued in the workplace,” he said.
Ohio, like the rest of the nation, saw unemployment rates skyrocket when the pandemic hit, reaching 16.8% in April 2020. We’ve been making steady progress since then. Husted said it’s because in Ohio, we know how to make things, and we have a willing and able workforce ready to fill an influx of new jobs coming to our state. Over the past four years, Husted said 48 companies have moved to our state from coastal cities.
“Post-pandemic everyone realized we have to restore the domestic supply chain, so we’re making more things in America, and Ohio is winning a disproportionate share of those jobs,” he said.
Numbers specific to Northeast Ohio unemployment rates will be released Tuesday, Aug. 22.
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