Ohio unemployment rate drops again to 7.2 pct.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio officials say the state’s unemployment rate dropped again in December.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says the state jobless rate was 7.2 percent last month. That’s down from 7.4 percent in November but higher than the 6.7 percent reported for December 2012.

The latest state rate also is higher than the national figure, which dropped from 7 percent in November to 6.7 percent in December.

The number of unemployed Ohio workers was 416,000 last month, or 11,000 fewer than in the previous month.

Ohio gained 5,600 jobs in goods-producing industries, 4,000 in construction, 3,400 in professional and business services and 2,400 in leisure and hospitality. But it lost positions in other sectors, including 3,700 in educational and health services.