TOLEDO, Ohio — New data out Friday from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shows Ohio has the most filled jobs in the history of the state.
"It's really exciting news because behind every one of those jobs is a family who has a higher quality of life and the ability to live their version of the American dream right here in Ohio," Jon Husted, the state's lieutenant governor, said.
Husted, a Republican, says the state is reshoring jobs lost to overseas businesses in decades past, creating a domestic supply chain and opening up job opportunities. Industries that are expanding include food, glass, solar and technology.
"Ohio, we obviously landed our largest economic development project in our history when Intel picked Ohio over 40 locations across the country," Husted said.
The U.S. Labor Department reports Ohio's unemployment rate notched a record low of 3.3% in July, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor force participation rate is 62.5%. That's still below the pre-pandemic level of 63.6%, meaning fewer people are choosing to work than a few years ago.
"The percentage of people in the workforce between the ages of 25 and 54, if you look at that it's actually quite stable compared to where it was pre-pandemic. This issue is, and this is a national issue, not just an Ohio issue, our population is getting older," Deputy Director of the White House Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti said.
With mortgage rates now over 7%, inflation still over 3% and gas prices trending up, it may not be smooth sailing but leaders say this latest jobs data is encouraging.
"At least Ohioans have access to a growing number of jobs and we're seeing wage gains that help us confront that," Husted said.
