Jobless rates fall in Ohio, Michigan

The Bob Evans restaurant in Solon, Ohio, advertises job openings earlier this month.

Jobless rates fell in Ohio and Michigan last month, but the number of jobs dipped in Ohio and climbed in Michigan.

Ohio’s unemployment level was 9.0 percent in October, down from 9.1 percent the month before, a report Friday shows.

The number of unemployed workers decreased by 8,000 to 526,000 last month, but the number of people working slipped by 600 to 5.1 million, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The job drop in Ohio stemmed mostly from a drop of 4,000 jobs in government, 3,800 in business and professional services, 800 in financial activities, and 600 in construction sectors, offset somewhat by gains of 2,700 in trade, transportation, and utilities, 2,100 in education and health services, 1,500 in leisure and hospitality, and 1,100 in manufacturing.

Michigan’s jobless rate dropped to 10.6 percent last month, from 11.1 percent in September, according to the state Department of Technology, Management, and Budget. The number of unemployed fell 24,000 to 554,000 and the number employed increased 8,000 to 4.2 million, the state said this week. The rate last month was 1 percentage point lower than October, 2010.

The rate decline in October was mostly because of a drop in the number of people out of work looking for a job, Michigan officials said. After decreasing for five months this year, employment in the state has climbed the last two months.