Ohio's January unemployment rate drops

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s unemployment rate has slipped another notch, down to 9.4 percent in January from a revised 9.5 percent in December.

The state Department of Job and Family Services said Friday the January jobless rate was down from 10.6 percent a year earlier. Ohio’s 9.4 percent for January was higher than the month’s national unemployment rate of 9.0 percent.

Officials say the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 551,000, down from 560,000 in December. The ranks of the state’s unemployed have fallen by 75,000 in the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, Ohio employment outside of farms rose by 31,900 during January. The department says business services, utilities and health care were among the industries reporting the largest job gains, while government was among the losers.