Ohio’s jobless rate increased in August

COLUMBUS (AP) — The state says Ohio’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.4 percent in August, up from 7.2 percent in July. It’s the highest rate in 16 years.

Ohio’s unemployment figure tops the national rate of 6.1 percent.

The last time Ohio’s unemployment rate hit 7.4 percent was in Oct. 1992.

The figures released Friday show that the number of unemployed workers in August was 445,000, up from 432,000 in July. The number of unemployed people has increased by 106,000 in the past 12 months.

The rate this August was up from the 5.7 percent rate a year earlier.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says Ohio’s labor market continued to mirror the national trend by showing signs of decline in August. Larger decreases in the goods-producing sectors resulted from continued losses in manufacturing and durable goods.