Weekly Unemployment Claims Rise

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Unemployment claims in Ohio rose slightly last week.

Ohioans filed 8,458 initial traditional unemployment claims last week, which was 1,408 more than the previous week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday.

It was the first increase in claims since the beginning of August.

State residents also filed 33,609 continued traditional unemployment claims the week of Sept. 17-23, which was 1,603 fewer than the previous week.

Of the initial unemployment claims filed, 3,635 have been flagged for more stringent identity verification to ensure they are not fraudulent.

In August, Ohio’s unemployment rate was 3.4%. The national unemployment rate was 3.8%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in August was 62.1%. The national labor force participation rate was 62.8%.

Copyright 2023 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.