The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) today reported that jobless claims for Ohio soared to 187,789 for the week ending March 21 from 7,042 a week earlier. This is an historic high.
Last week’s jobless claims top the monthly filings of all but Ohio’s worst month on record, December 1981, when claims reached 205,159. The next highest month, December 1982, saw 167,638 claims: roughly 20,000 fewer than reported last week. Those monthly peaks happened during a recession that hit Ohio harder than the one in 2008. Ohio manufacturing jobs never recovered.
These numbers reflect a period just before large portions of Ohio’s economy were abruptly halted by Governor DeWine’s March 22 “stay home order,” intended to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The order mandated the closure of non-essential business activities and urged Ohioans to stay home. The filings show that Ohio employers were already shedding jobs in the midst of school and restaurant closures, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The specifics of which jobs were affected won’t be available until next month, when the employer and household surveys come out for March. But Moody’s Analytics has classified jobs in five industries as most at-risk: Leisure and hospitality, transportation, mining, employment services, and travel arrangements. Together these jobs comprise 921,000 jobs: a fifth of all private sector Ohio jobs, and $234 billion in earnings. Moody’s released these projections ahead of school and restaurant closures, and stay-at-home orders in Ohio and other states, which will extend to other jobs.
Contact: Michael Shields
330.906.2062
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