Columbus, OH – Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, commented on the August 2026 jobs report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

“While Ohio’s unemployment rate fell to 3.3 percent in August, the labor force participation rate also fell to 61.3 percent, meaning more Ohioans are no longer looking for work. Although Ohio has a lower unemployment rate than the national average, the national job market significantly outpaced Ohio in August, with more workers looking for jobs, a declining unemployment rate, and 127,000 new private-sector jobs.

“Another disappointing sign is the sharp downward revision of Ohio’s job gains in July, which initially reported 9,600 new private-sector jobs, but with the revision, only created 4,800 new private-sector jobs. This downward revision wipes out the 1,700 new private-sector jobs added in August.

“While Ohio has made significant progress on energy, tax, and regulatory reform, it can do more to prepare Ohio workers for in-demand jobs, as The Buckeye Institute recently outlined. And, as The Buckeye Institute urged, it should not pull the plug on data center development; rather,  Ohio’s communities should address the challenges data centers pose without unnecessarily discouraging—or killing—the investment and jobs this new industry brings to the Buckeye state.”

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