The December 2013 Ohio By the Numbers report shows an increase of 5,400 private sector jobs. Ohio’s labor force increased for the second straight month and its unemployment rate ticked down to 7.2 percent from 7.4 percent in November. But the gap between Ohio’s unemployment rate and the national unemployment rate increased, with Ohio now trailing the national unemployment rate (6.7 percent) by half-of-a-percentage point.

There was a nearly 3,000-person increase in Ohio’s labor force in December and an overall 2013 labor force increase of slightly more than 9,000 people. This growth follows Ohio’s labor force loss of 158,000 people between 2010 and the end of 2012. Overall, the labor force in Ohio has shrunk by nearly 230,000 workers from its peak of 5.97 million people in December 2006. 

If December’s numbers hold, Ohio will have created 35,100 private sector jobs throughout 2013.

Overall highlights from the report:

• Ohio gained 5,400 private sector jobs in December while losing 400 government jobs;

• Ohio ranked 34th nationally in private sector job growth since January 2010, growing at a 5.7 percent rate;

• Ohio currently ranks 47th nationally for private sector job growth since January of 1990, growing at 8.1 percent (top-ranked North Dakota grew 92.7 percent over the same time span).

Within individual industry sectors, Professional and Business Services, Education and Health Services, and Leisure and Hospitality continue to employ more people today than in either 1990 or 2000. Meanwhile, Mining and Logging, Construction, Manufacturing, and Information sectors have fewer jobs today than in 1990 or 2000.

The report shows that Forced Union states (which includes Ohio and several of its neighbors — with the exceptions of Indiana, which became a Worker Freedom state in February of 2012, and Michigan, whose recent Worker Freedom law became effective at the end of March 2013) had a private sector growth rate far below Worker Freedom states.

Between 1990 and January 2012, Worker Freedom states’ private sector jobs grew at a 38 percent rate vs. only 13 percent for Forced Union states (11.8 million vs. 8 million). Since Indiana became a Worker Freedom state in February 2012, Worker Freedom states’ private sector jobs grew at a rate of 4.0 percent vs. 2.7 percent for Forced Union states.

For the full report, please click here.