Columbus, OH – Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center at The Buckeye Institute and vice president of policy, commented on newly released employment data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. 

“Ohio’s July jobs report indicates that the rapid recovery from the depths of the pandemic recession has slowed compared to May and June, when Ohio recovered half of its job losses and the state reopened businesses getting people back to work. Although the unemployment rate fell from 11 percent to 8.9 percent, the sharp decline in Ohio’s labor force participation rate (-1.6 percentage points), shows that many unemployed Ohioans have left the labor force and have stopped looking for work—a concerning sign in the state’s ongoing economic recovery.

“Ohio added 62,700 jobs in July, including 57,800 new private-sector jobs, and while almost half of those private-sector jobs were in the leisure and hospitality sector (25,100), the industry is still down 146,900 jobs compared to July 2019. Of further concern is the loss of 2,600 manufacturing jobs, and although the health care sector added 11,300 jobs in July, it is still down 42,000 jobs from February 2020.  

“July’s jobs report shows Ohio’s businesses are struggling to recover from the pandemic and that workers are struggling to find jobs. To reverse this, policymakers need to quickly pass liability protection so businesses can confidently re-open and people can safely return to work. Ohio also needs to partner with private companies to expand broadband service to underserved areas and needs to permanently expand telehealth. These two efforts will ensure Ohio can continue to respond to the pandemic with quality medical care, and that workers and students have the resources they need to work and go to school online—all of which are vital to Ohio’s economic recovery.”

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