The Buckeye Institute creates "Ohio Jobs Tracker," a new look at employment

The Buckeye Institute creates “Ohio Jobs Tracker,” a new look at employment

Joe Nichols Mar 14, 2016

The Buckeye Institute is pleased to roll out our newly redesigned Ohio Jobs Tracker (formerly known as our Ohio by the Numbers report) along with today’s release of January state jobs numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. This monthly labor market report charts 5 core economic indicators and also highlights a different aspect of the Ohio economy each month.

Ohio’s economy enjoyed a strong start to 2016. The private sector added 7,700 jobs in January, and the labor force participation rate increased for the fourth month in a row. However, jobs numbers for the mining and logging sector were revised downward significantly. The updated data show that mining and logging employment has fallen nearly 20% in the last year as low oil and gas prices and a weak coal market have forced many companies to cut jobs. This turmoil is a devastating blow to the communities and families who depend on that sector.

Key data points:

Unemployment rate. The jobless rate rose to 4.9% in January, up from 4.8% a month earlier but down from 5.1% a year earlier.

Labor force participation rate. The percentage of working-age Ohioans who have a job or are looking for work rose to 62.6% in January, up from 62.3% a month earlier.

Total jobs. Ohio added 100 total jobs compared to the previous month (seasonally adjusted) and 80,800 jobs from a year earlier.

Private jobs. Ohio added 7,700 private sector jobs from the previous month and 79,000 jobs from a year earlier.

Labor force. The total number of Ohioans who have a job or are unemployed and looking for work rose by 28,000 in January to 5,722,000.

Major employment changes by sector during January:

Winners

Real estate and rental and leasing. The industry added 1,400 jobs, up 2.2%.
Information. The sector gained 1,600 jobs, a 1.4% increase.

Losers

Mining and logging. The industry saw a 1.6% drop.
Federal government. This sector employed 900 fewer people, a loss of 1.2% of its workforce.

The Buckeye Institute creates “Ohio Jobs Tracker,” a new look at employment

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