Initial, continued unemployment claims down
Staff report
Ohioans filed 6,905 initial and 66,806 continued unemployment claims last week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday.
Initial claims were 1,051 fewer than the previous week. Continued filings were 1,062 fewer. The total number of claims filed Feb. 8-14 was 73,711.
The state unemployment rate in December was 4.5%. The national unemployment rate in December was 4.4%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in December was 62.3%. The national labor force participation rate in December was 62.4%.
Mahoning County’s unemployment rate was 4.8% in December compared with 5.1% for Trumbull County.