For the Miami Valley Today

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in May 2022, down from 4.0% in April 2022. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 4,800 over the month, from a revised 5,474,700 in April to 5,479,500 in May 2022.

Household Survey Data

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in May was 226,000, down from 233,000 in April. The number of unemployed has decreased by 86,000 in the past 12 months from 312,000. The May unemployment rate for Ohio decreased from 5.4% in May 2021. The U.S. unemployment rate for May 2022 was 3.6%, unchanged from April 2022 and down from 5.8% in May 2021.

In May 2022, the labor force participation rate in Ohio was 62.0%, up from 61.8% in April 2022 and up from 61.7% in May 2021. During the same period, the national labor force participation rate was 62.3%, up from 62.2% in April 2022 and up from 61.6% in May 2021.

Establishment Survey Data

Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 4,800 over the month, from a revised 5,474,700 in April to 5,479,500 in May, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics) in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

Employment in goods-producing industries, at 922,200, decreased 5,400 over the month as losses in construction (-3,700) and manufacturing (-1,800) surpassed gains in mining and logging (+100). The private service-providing sector, at 3,800,400, increased 7,000 as gains in leisure and hospitality (+4,700); educational and health services (+3,300); trade, transportation, and utilities (+1,700); information (+1,200); and other services (+1,000) exceeded losses in professional and business services (-4,900). Financial activities did not change over the month. Government employment, at 756,900, increased 3,200 as gains in local (+2,000) and state (+1,400) government outpaced losses in federal government (-200).

From May 2021 to May 2022, nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 121,400. Employment in goods-producing industries increased 29,800. Manufacturing added 18,000 jobs in durable goods (+10,400) and nondurable goods (+7,600). Construction added 11,500 jobs while mining and logging gained 300. Employment in the private service-providing sector increased 87,600 as gains in leisure and hospitality (+49,100); trade, transportation, and utilities (+26,300); other services (+9,000); professional and business services (+5,600); information (+4,900); and financial activities (+100) outweighed losses in educational and health services (-7,400). Government employment increased 4,000 as gains in local government (+5,400) surpassed losses in state (-1,300) and federal (-100) government.

Updated statewide historical data may be obtained through the OhioLMI app, which is available for free on mobile devices through the App Store or Google Play. Ohioans can access tens of thousands of job openings, for positions ranging from file clerks to CEOs, at https://ohiomeansjobs.ohio.gov/.