By 1808Delaware with information from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
When unemployment numbers for Ohio counties was released this week, they reflected in a positive direction for Ohio in general and Delaware County in particular.
Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0% in February, down from 5.3% in January.
289,000 workers were unemployed in Ohio in February, down from 360,000 the month before. That noted, the number of unemployed Ohioans has increased by 10,000 in the last 12 months, suggesting that levels have basically reached pre-pandemic levels.
In February of last year, the unemployment rate stood at 4.7%.
The national unemployment rate for February was 6.2%, down from 6.3% in January, and up from 3.5% in February 2020.
Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 8,400 over the month, from a revised 5,304,300 in January to 5,295,900 in February, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.
Employment in goods-producing industries, at 889,400, decreased 600 over the month with losses in manufacturing (-300), mining and logging (-200), and construction (-100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,661,700 decreased 8,000 as losses in educational and health services (-12,700) and professional and business services (-1,400) outpaced gains in leisure and hospitality (+4,300), trade, transportation, and utilities (+900), financial activities (+400), other services (+400), and information (+100). Government employment, at 744,800, increased 200 as gains in state government (+400) exceeded losses in federal government (-200). Local government did not change over the month.
From February 2020 to February 2021, nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 314,000. Employment in goods-producing industries decreased 47,200. Manufacturing lost 36,600 jobs in durable goods (-34,300) and nondurable goods (-2,300). Construction lost 8,900 jobs and mining and logging employment decreased 1,700. Employment in the private service-providing sector decreased 216,600 as losses in leisure and hospitality (-89,600), educational and health services (-59,100), professional and business services (-36,800), other services (-22,800), information (-5,500), and trade, transportation, and utilities (-3,100) outweighed gains in financial activities (+300). Government employment decreased 50,200 with losses in local (-30,700), state (-18,700), and federal (-800) government.
Non seasonally adjusted numbers reflect that Delaware County’s current unemployment rate is 4.2%, up .1% since last month.
The rates for surrounding counties:
- Franklin 5.7%
- Knox 4.7%
- Licking 4.7%
- Marion 5.7%
- Morrow 5.3%
- Union 4.0%
Across Ohio, the lowest rate for February was in Holmes County with 3.0%. Clinton County’s 8.5% rate was the highest.
