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State unemployment at 5 percent for November
By Kalea Hall
COLUMBUS
Although the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went down to 5 percent in November from 5.3 percent in October, Cleveland-based economist George Zeller believes the state’s job recovery needs to speed up.
The state may be behind in its job growth, but the positive news is there was an increase of 17,900 jobs in November, Zeller said.
“We need to speed up the recovery to get the workers back to work,” Zeller said.
Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment went from a revised 5,311,300 in October to 5,329,200 in November, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ data released Friday.
In November 2007 — the peak before the Great Recession — employment was at 5,438,200. From November 2007 to November 2014 there is a difference of 109,000 jobs.
“We still have 109,000 workers who can’t find a job because the recovery is too slow,” Zeller said.
National unemployment for November 2014 was 5.8 percent, down 1.2 percent from November 2013.
The state did see an increase in goods-producing industries by 4,200 from October because of gains in manufacturing and mining and logging. The private service-providing sector added 15,200 jobs. Gains also were seen in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, other services, trade, transportation and utilities and financial activities.
Losses occurred in construction, health and educational services and in state and local government. The federal government saw an increase of 1,300 jobs.
“The fact is, it is always good when we see manufacturing growth,” Zeller said.
From November 2013 to November 2014, non-agricultural wage and salary employment increased 65,200.
The Mahoning Valley’s unemployment numbers will be released Tuesday.