Ohio unemployment rate doesn’t give the whole jobs picture

Ohio’s unemployment rate fell in September, but the economic indicator doesn’t paint the complete picture of what is seen as a lackluster job market here, economists told this newspaper.

While Ohio’s unemployment rate fell from 5 to 4.8%, the September jobs report showed that Ohio’s job market took a step backward, as the private sector lost 2,000 jobs and more workers left the job market, leading to a decline in the labor force participation rate to 62.4%, which tied the national average, said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute.

The national unemployment rate climbed to 4.4% in September when seasonally adjusted according to the Joint Economic Committee, up 0.1% from August and up 0.3% from September 2024.

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Area counties saw improvements in unemployment numbers month over month, with Butler (4.3%), Greene (4.2%), Miami (3.9%), Montgomery (4.6%) and Warren (3.7%) all lower than the state average.

Only Clark at 5.2% saw a higher unemployment rate than Ohio’s 4.8%.

Nancy Haskell, associate professor of economics at the University of Dayton, said she and other economists across the country are hesitant to put too much stock into one labor indicator such as unemployment.

“It’s a messy picture right now. There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Haskell said.

Ohio saw a loss of 6,200 jobs in September across all sectors, according to Jobs and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Labor, the second consecutive month of declines.

Global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported 1,380 job cuts in Ohio for November bringing the year to date total to 42,087. The firm reported 29,983 over the same period in 2024.

In September, labor force participation rate in Ohio was 62.4%, down from 62.5% in August and unchanged from 62.4% in September 2024.

“Working Ohioans have been retreating from the labor force since June, with an average of 5,000 over that four-month period,” said Molly Bryden, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “This emerging trend marks a departure from strong growth in Ohio’s labor force seen earlier this year, with an average increase of 9,200 Ohioans entering the labor force each month between January and May.”

Federal, state and local government jobs accounted for more than half of Ohio’s job losses between August and September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics with a monthly decline of 4,200.

The Department of Labor’s monthly employment report was delayed due to the federal shutdown in October. October employment and unemployment data will not be released, according to the Department of Labor. November figures are slated to be released on Jan. 13.

Area county unemployment rates September, August 2025

Butler - 4.3%, 5.1%

Clark - 5.2%, 5.5%

Greene - 4.2%, 4.9%

Miami - 3.9%, 4.6%

Montgomery - 4.6%, 5.5%

Warren - 3.7%, 4.5%

Source: Ohio Department of Job & Family Services. Rates are not seasonally adjusted.

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