Ohio’s unemployment filings rise at end of December

OHIO — The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported a rise in unemployment claims filed in the Buckeye State near the end of December.

From Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, the state saw 71,161 total claims filed.

There were 12,414 initial unemployment claims filed during the week, approximately 3,099 more than the previous week. Of these, 1,053 were flagged for identity verification to avoid fraud. 

There were also 58,747 continued unemployment claims filed, 1,714 more than the previous week. 

The state’s unemployment rate in November was 4.3%, compared to the nation’s 4.2%. Ohio’s labor force participation for the same month was 62.6% while the national rate was 62.5%.