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Ohio Will Enlist Private Sector To Fix Beleaguered Unemployment System

Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services in downtown Columbus.
Ohio Public Radio

People around Ohio are lodging complaints about the state's unemployment compensation filing portal. Gov. Mike DeWine says an unprecedented influx of people applying for benefits continues to weigh down the system.

DeWine says the state will soon be entering into a partnership with the private sector to help run Ohio's unemployment claims process. He says it's a matter of working with companies to lend executives and experts in the field.

However, he warns that there will still be challenges.

"No one's going to work a miracle. This was an avalanche that hit, along with the pandemic, so many Ohioans. And the system was simply not built for this," DeWine says. "If you're not getting your check and you should be getting your check, you don't care about that. And what you care about is whether you're getting your check or not. And I don't blame someone, so we understand."

More than 2.2 million Ohioans filed jobless claims last year, more than the total claims in the previous five years.

DeWine says more details about the partnership will be announced Thursday.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.