The February 2014 Ohio By the Numbers report is the to incorporate the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) new annual benchmarks. Using the new benchmarks that showed higher job creation numbers since 2010 than initially reported, Ohio’s national private sector job ranking since improved from December’s rank of 34 to 25 in February.

After several months of mirroring, or coming in above, the nation’s unemployment rate, Ohio dropped below the national level in February (6.5 percent vs. 6.7 percent). Despite the unemployment rate drop, Ohio shed 600 private sector and 4,000 government jobs in February according to preliminary BLS numbers.

Ohio’s labor force increased by 1,855 individuals in February. This marks the second straight month of labor force growth in the state. Overall, the labor force in Ohio has shrunk by slightly over 200,000 workers from its peak of 5.97 million people in December 2006. It has gained nearly 7,000 workers since the beginning of 2014.

Despite the BLS benchmark-based upward revision for job growth in recent years, Ohio continues to lag the private-sector growth rates of most other states when considering the longer time span of the past two decades. Ohio continues to rank as only the 47th best state since 1990.

For a full Labor Force update, click here.

Overall highlights from the report:

• Ohio lost 600 private sector and 4,000 government jobs in February;
   
• Ohio ranked 25th nationally in private sector job growth since January 2010, growing at a 7.2 percent rate;
   
• Ohio currently ranks 47th nationally for private sector job growth since January of 1990, growing at 9.7 percent (top-ranked Nevada grew 96.4 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 include 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 14 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 4.6 percent vs. 3.6 percent for Forced Union states.

For the full report, please click here.