Ohio unemployment highest since '92

8/15/2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio State officials say Ohio's unemployment rate has jumped to its highest level in more than 15 years, to 7.2 percent in July from 6.6 percent in June.

The figures released Friday show that the number of unemployed workers in July was 430,000, up from 394,000 in June. The number of unemployed people in the state has increased by 96,000 in the past 12 months.

Ohio's 7.2 percent jobless rate tops national unemployment of 5.7 percent.

Spokesman Brian Harter with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says the state's current unemployment rate is the highest since Dec. 1992, when it was also 7.2 percent.

Department director Helen Jones-Kelley says employment declined last month in both manufacturing and services industries.