(The Center Square) – Despite rising unemployment and fewer available jobs, Ohio’s small business owners continue to struggle to find employees.
A new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business showed 36% of small business owners reported filling job openings as one of their most pressing issues. That number is up 2 points from May.
State-specific data isn’t available, but NFIB Ohio Assistant State Director Cameron Garczyk said finding qualified workers is an ongoing struggle.
“Ohio’s small business owners continue to prioritize filling open positions and creating new jobs, but finding qualified workers remains a top challenge for them,” Garczyk said. “Small businesses were pleased to see Gov. DeWine sign the state budget this week, which will further strengthen the small business economy and Ohio’s workforce.”
The report also showed that 58% of small business owners either hired or tried to hire employees in June, which was 3 points higher than in May.
The news comes after Ohio saw another poor unemployment report in May.
Ohio employers stopped hiring in May as the state’s unemployment rate remained well above the national average.
While the private sector shed 6,300 jobs in May, the state’s unemployment rate stayed flat at 4.9%. The labor force participation rate also remained the same at 62.7%, according to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Ohio’s unemployment rate is the ninth worst in the country.
It’s been seven months since Ohio’s jobless rate declined month over month, falling in October to 4.3% from September’s 4.5%. Both of those numbers, however, were above the national average at the time.
That fall was the first time the rate dropped since a record-low rate of 3.3% in July 2023.
The Ohio job losses for May marked the first time this year the state didn’t add private jobs in a particular month.
