Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ohio's Unemployment Rate Is Declining And Businesses Say It's Hard To Find Workers

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Ohio’s unemployment rate was down slightly in June. It was an even 4 percent last month compared to 4.1 percent in May. Companies in Ohio have jobs that are going unfilled right now. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

The number of unemployed Ohioans has decreased by 31,000 during the past year. In fact, Keith Lake with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce says it’s now to the point that some businesses are having difficulty finding people to hire.

“We’ve got member companies across the state who tell me, when we talk to them, that one of their biggest concerns continues to be workforce and lots of them are having difficulty filling job openings," Lake says.

Employers have said they’re having to compete for good workers. They say they can’t find candidates who have the right skills or who can pass drug tests. Though Ohio’s jobless rate has fallen for the last five months, it’s still higher than the national rate of 3.7 percent.  

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content