Unemployment rates ticks up slightly

Staff report

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in September 2016, up from 4.7 percent in August.

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 3,100 over the month, from a revised 5,501,000 in August to 5,497,900 in September 2016.

The U.S. unemployment rate for September was 5 percent, up from 4.9 percent in August and down from 5.1 percent in September 2015.

Local unemployment figures for the Mahoning Valley will be released Tuesday.

The state’s civilian labor force, which is the sum of the unemployed and employed, was 5,748,000 compared with 5,762,000 reported in August 2016.

Job losses over the month were noted in the goods-producing industries, leisure and hospitality, educational and health services, trade, transportation and utilities and state government.

Job gains were seen in the private sector, financial activities, professional and business services, information, local and federal government.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in September was 275,000, up 4,000 from 271,000 in August.

The number of unemployed has increased by 12,000 in the past 12 months from 263,000.

The September unemployment rate for Ohio was 0.2 percentage points higher than the September 2015 rate of 4.6 percent.