LONDON: More than 1 million people are now working in the central Ohio region. The number of workers, or those looking for work, has been steadily growing for years, so reaching that mark was not a real surprise. “It’s about as meaningful as the Dow (Jones industrial average) cracking 18,000. It’s a milestone,” said Bill LaFayette, owner of economic consulting firm Regionomics. Still, the increase reflects increasing optimism in the local economy and the ability to find a job, he said.
“Things are looking better. Nationally and (in) Ohio and locally, we’ve been seeing a steady increase in the labor force since last September,” he said. LaFayette counted a labor force of 1.06 million in March, based on state employment data released Tuesday. Of that number, nearly 1.02 million were actually working.
In March, 7,500 people joined the labor force and 5,500 of them found jobs. The central Ohio unemployment rate dipped to 4.4 percent last month from 4.5 percent in February, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The region had the lowest unemployment rate of the state’s metros in March. Cincinnati had the next-lowest rate at 4.8 percent. The drop in central Ohio was mirrored statewide; rates fell in all metro areas but one and in 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Better weather in March usually results in a drop in the jobless rate. On Friday, the state reported that the unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent in March from 5 percent in February. The state jobless rate is adjusted to take into account seasonal variations, but the county and metro figures released on Tuesday are not.
Delaware and Union counties were among the seven counties with unemployment rates at or below 4 percent. Delaware’s rate was 3.7 percent, and Union’s rate was 4 percent. The rate for Columbus and Franklin County was 4.3 percent. Holmes County in northeastern Ohio had the lowest unemployment rate in Ohio at 3.6 percent, and Monroe County in eastern Ohio had the highest rate at 9.5 percent.
