Decline In Weekly Jobless Claims

The Labor Department says the number of Ohioans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits fell by nearly 55 hundred last week, due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing, transportation, and retail. Ohio had the fourth-largest decline of the 50 states. Nationally, claims fell by 2 thousand last week to a seasonally adjusted 326 thousand. The department says applications appear to have stabilized near pre-Great Recession levels.