COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped inNovember to 7.4 percent, down
slightly from October but still well abovethe rate a year ago.Ohio’s rate also remains below the
national rate of 7 percent, which dropped from 7.3 percent in October.Thestate’s nonfarm wage and salary
employment decreased 12,000 over themonth. It went from a revised 5.2 million workers in October, when
therate was 7.5 percent, to 5.19 million in November, the Department of Joband Family Services said
Friday.In 2012, Ohio’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate November was 6.8 percent.Thestate said the total
number of workers unemployed in Ohio in Novemberwas 427,000, unchanged from October. In the past 12
months, the numberof unemployed has increased by 37,000, from 390,000, according to Joband Family
Services.The slight discrepancy in figures —unemployment down, but with lower employment numbers as well
— comesfrom differences in reporting tools, said Job and Family Servicesspokeswoman Angela Terez.The
unemployment figure comes from anational survey of households by the Census bureau which includes
about2,000 households in Ohio, while the job figures comes from a survey ofemployers by the U.S.
Department of Labor, Terez said. That includesabout 18,000 businesses in Ohio."If anything, it’s
just a signthat the recovery is slow," Terez said, adding: "We believe the economyis slowly
strengthening, and the job market is improving."Theagency said Ohio lost jobs in goods-producing
industries andconstruction, but gained positions in manufacturing, educational andhealth services,
trade, transportation, utilities and government.The state rate has varied only slightly throughout this
year and had been hovering below the U.S.
rate.___Online:http://jfs.ohio.gov/RELEASES/unemp/201312/index.stmCopyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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