Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.3% in January 2021, down from a revised 5.6% in December. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 28,900 over the month, from a revised 5,277,800 in December to 5,306,700 in January 2021.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 307,000, down from 321,000 in December. The number of unemployed has increased by 39,000 in the past 12 months from 268,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio increased from 4.5% in January 2020.

The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 6.3%, down from 6.7% in December, and up from 3.5% in January 2020.

Total Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 28,900 over the month, from a revised 5,277,800 in December to 5,306,700 in January, 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 890,700, increased 1,800 over the month with gains in construction (+1,400) and manufacturing (+400). Mining and logging did not change over the month. The private service-providing sector, at 3,667,000 increased 21,000 as gains in leisure and hospitality (+10,300), educational and health services (+6,800), financial activities (+1,700), trade, transportation, and utilities (+1,400), professional and business services (+800), and information (+400) exceeded losses in other services (-400). Government employment, at 749,000, increased 6,100 as gains in state (+4,500) and local (+1,700) government employment surpassed a loss in federal government employment (-100).

From January 2020 to January 2021, nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 307,0000. Employment in goods-producing industries decreased 46,500. Manufacturing lost 37,000 jobs in durable goods (-34,000) and nondurable goods (-3,000). Construction lost 7,800 jobs and mining and logging employment decreased 1,700. Employment in the private service-providing sector decreased 214,100 with losses in leisure and hospitality (-93,500), educational and health services (-49,900), professional and business services (-35,000), other services (-22,800), trade, transportation, and utilities (-6,600), information (-5,900), and financial activities (-400). Government employment decreased 46,400 with losses in local (-29,900), state (-15,800), and federal (-700) government.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services manages vital programs that strengthen Ohio families. These include job training and employment services, unemployment insurance, cash and food assistance, child care, child and adult protective services, adoption, and child support services.