State jobless numbers released; Highland County unemployment well above state average

Ohio's unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January 2016, up from a revised 4.8 percent in December. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 100 over the month, from a revised 5,475,400 in December to 5,475,500 in January 2016.

In Highland County, the unemployment rate was 7.9 percent. Adams County’s rate of 10.3 percent was among the five Ohio counties in double digits. Brown County’s rate was 7.3 percent and Clinton’s was 7.2 percent.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 279,000, up 6,000 from 273,000 in December. The number of unemployed has decreased by 12,000 in the past 12 months from 291,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio was down from 5.1 percent in January 2015.

The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 4.9 percent, down from 5.0 percent in December and down from 5.7 percent in January 2015.

Total Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 100 over the month, from a revised 5,475,400 in December 2015 to 5,475,500 in January 2016, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with ODJFS.

Goods-producing industries, at 913,100, added 1,100 jobs over the month. Job gains in construction (+700) and manufacturing (+600) outweighed job losses in mining and logging (-200). The private service-providing sector, at 3,794,400, added 6,600 jobs. Employment gains in trade, transportation, and utilities (+4,400), leisure and hospitality (+3,000), educational and health services (+2,900), financial activities (+1,400), information (+1,000), and other services (+400) surpassed losses in professional and business services (-6,500). Government employment, at 768,000 decreased 7,600 as a result of employment losses in local (-5,500), state (-1,200), and federal (-900) government.

From January 2015 to January 2016, nonagricultural wage and salary employment grew 80,800. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 14,500. Construction added 9,900 jobs. Manufacturing employment increased 7,700 as gains in nondurable goods (+9,500) exceeded losses in durable goods (-1,800). Mining and logging lost 3,100 jobs over the year. The private service-providing sector added 64,500 jobs. Gains in educational and health services (+21,900), leisure and hospitality (+21,300), trade, transportation, and utilities (+14,000), other services (+5,400), financial activities (+2,800), and information (+1,600) exceeded losses in professional and business services (-2,500). Government employment increased 1,800 as gains in state government (+7,900) were partially offset by losses in local (-5,800) and federal (-300) government.