Ohio Jobless Rate Drops for 8th Straight Month

State officials say for the first time in eight years Ohio’s unemployment rate is not higher than the national one.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said the state’s jobless rate slipped from 9.9 percent in October to 9.8 percent last month. The national unemployment rate for November also was 9.8 percent.

Officials note Ohio unemployment has now fallen for eight months in a row since hitting a 26-year high of 11 percent in March.

The number of unemployed workers in Ohio dropped to 579,000 last month, from 588,000 in October. Officials say the number has gone down by 58,000 in the past 12 months.

The state’s nonfarm payroll employment also fell in November, by 7,800.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: http://jfs.ohio.gov