Ohio’s jobless rate falls again

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s unemployment rate continued its slow downward march in November, state officials reported Friday.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 6.8 percent — down slightly from 6.9 percent in October and 7.1 percent in September.

It’s the lowest since an identical 6.8-percent rate in August 2008, and it’s down more than a full percentage point from November 2011, when it stood at 8.1 percent.

Ohio’s unemployment rate has remained below the national rate, which was 7.7 percent in November and 7.9 percent the previous month.

“Our outlook hasn’t changed at all,” said Angela Terez, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. “We still think we’re in a recovery; it’s just a slow recovery. We expect there to be small increases and decreases.”

The number of unemployed Ohio workers dropped by 5,000 to 391,000 last month. Meanwhile, the state’s nonfarm payroll increased by 1,600.