Tuesday, March 27, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in February, down from 5.3 percent in January, the state said today. The national unemployment rate for February was 4.5 percent, down from 4.6 percent in January.
“The severe winter storms in mid-February appear to have skewed labor market data as job seekers were less likely to be looking for work while employers also reported a decline in employment,” Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said in a statement. “Nearly half of the employment decline for the month was in construction.”