(The Center Square) – Ohio’s November unemployment numbers showed better than the rest of the nation but still relatively average, according to some analysts.
The state’s November unemployment rate was unchanged from October at 4.3%, but the labor force participation rate rose from 62.5% to 62.6%, leading economists to believe job openings and prospective employees are in balance.
“Employers created enough new jobs to meet the demand of Ohioans looking for work,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “While the national job market weakened slightly in November, Ohio saw a stronger month than the national average, and Ohio’s job market now matches the national average after trailing for the last half of 2024.”
The state added 3,900 private-sector jobs in November, but an October revision showed 1,000 fewer jobs were added than previously reported. Overall, the state added 5,500 jobs in November.
“Despite the slow, steady growth of jobs in Ohio, the state continues to lag behind its neighbors and the rest of the country, as revealed in the latest,” Hederman said. “In 2025, Ohio lawmakers need to adopt policies that will reverse these persistent trends by passing a budget that constrains overall spending, reduces the overall tax and regulatory burden on Ohioans, expands school choice, and ensures the integrity of Ohio’s public pension systems.”
Ohio jobs are at a four-year high with more than a 20% increase from the low of April 2020.
The service industry added the most November jobs at 3,200, while more than 1,500 construction jobs were added.
Trade, transportation and utilities had the largest job losses at 2,900.
“Overall,” said Molly Bryden, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, “manufacturing jobs have fallen for seven consecutive months, corresponding with consistent rises in the Purchasing Managers Index, indicating an increasingly strained manufacturing sector in the U.S., which has a strong base in Ohio. The continued rise in inflation could further weaken demand for manufactured goods, exacerbating a contraction in the manufacturing sector.”