| Ohio unemployment rate falls in September Discouraged, many jobless gave up the search, state says Friday, October 16, 2009 10:45 AM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio's unemployment rate fell to 10.1 percent in September, a big drop from 10.8 percent the month before, the state said this morning. Normally, this would be a positive sign, but this time the decline is largely because people are giving up on finding work and leaving the labor force, said Brian Harter, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. "The pool of people looking for work has gotten smaller," he said. Ohio's nonfarm employment was 5,097,200 in September, down 5,900 from a month earlier. The number of workers unemployed stood at 594,000, down 47,000. |
The fastest-shrinking sector was trade, transportation and utilities, which lost 6,000 jobs. Durable-goods manufacturing lost 4,500 jobs.
The greatest gain was in professional and business services, which added 6,400 jobs.
Harter noted that there were fewer mass layoffs at big employers, which he said is a good sign that the job market has hit bottom.
Looking ahead, he expects the unemployment rate to rise again before it begins a long-term decline that will accompany an economic recovery.
"As you get closer to the holiday season, some people will look for work," he said.
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