November Jobs Report Brings Lowest Unemployment Rate Since 2001

Ohio's unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level since 2001. The Department of Job and Family Services says the state's rate for November was 5 percent, down from 5.3 percent in October. That's much lower than a year ago, when the rate was 7.2 percent. It's also below the national rate, which held steady at 5.8 percent in November. The drop came as Ohio employers added about 18,000 workers, and about the same number of people left Ohio unemployment rolls. Ohio's unemployment rate had held steady at 5.7 percent in July and August, then dropped to 5.6 percent for September. The latest figures were released Friday with other data on unemployment and jobs across sectors such as construction, manufacturing, health care, leisure and hospitality. The state says Ohio has 287,000 unemployed workers last month, down 18,000 compared with October.