Ohio's jobless rate still falling

[TomCADem]

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

A burst of retail hiring and an increase in temporary and contract jobs in April helped cut Ohio's unemployment rate for the 14th straight month.

Last month's reading of 8.6 percent is the lowest since January 2009, and the Ohio figure now has fallen below the U.S. rate, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said yesterday.

"As retail sales increase, that creates more demand, so retailers will staff up to meet that demand," said George Gough, executive vice president of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. He described retailers as "cautiously optimistic that the economy is turning around."

The state reported a net increase of 8,600 jobs during the past month, led by the addition of 5,100 retail jobs and 7,100 positions created in the category that includes contract and temporary jobs. There were declines in other job categories. The state experienced a loss of 2,900 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry and 2,100 in educational and health services.


Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/05/21/ohios-jobless-rate-still-falling.html?sid=101

[MNBrewer]

1. Great job spamming LBN with tepid jobs reports.

[Kolesar]

9. It's the Ohio forum, quaffer...eom

[madokie]

2. This mornings paper had us here in the great state of Oklahoma at 6% unemployed

course they don't count the ones who are unemployed but don't still draw unemployment.

add: Oklahoma in subject line, sheepishly ;-)

[Kingofalldems]

3. Somebody unreccing all the good news job reports today

[buckrogers1965]

4. There are no new jobs

Just people falling off the end of their unemployment compensation.

[Kolesar]

5. Not true. My employer is hiring in Ohio

what is your motivation?

[buckrogers1965]

7. Hiring 10 people

After you laid off 100 is not new jobs.

[OhioBlue]

6. untrue - in my job we survey employers

mostly manufacturing - all are up from a year ago - many are layoffs that have been recalled, some employers are adding workers through temp agencies as they say their Corporate offices are still hesitant to add full time employees - but the numbers are up - way up from what they were.

[buckrogers1965]

8. They are not up

They are just less down. These companies have laid off many workers, we are way down from where we were.

You cannot call them new jobs until we are above 100% of where we were years ago. When we get to 101% of maximum previous employment, then you can call them new jobs.

[ladym55]

10. We need to note the sector

The job growth is in the service sector, which traditionally has jobs that pay less and often don't provide benefits.