CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio's unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February, with the state gaining 13,400 jobs, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Friday.
The state's jobless rate was 4.7 percent in January. Ohio's unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in February 2017.
"Ohio job growth this year is off to one of the strongest starts since the end of the recession, as only 2012 posted better numbers," wrote Hannah Halbert, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, in an email.
She said the state gained a total of 32,100 jobs in January and February.
"The past two calendar years have been marked by slow and slowing growth," she wrote. "The first two months of 2018 are a welcome departure from these trends."
Most sectors gained jobs in February, including trade, transportation and utilities, which was up by 5,600. Employment in educational and health services increased by 3,500, manufacturing gained 2,900 jobs and employment increased by 2,600 in professional and business services. Leisure and hospitality gained 1,800 jobs, other service jobs increased by 1,300 and employment in financial activities was up by 1,100.
The sectors experiencing job loss were led by a decrease in 6,200 government jobs. Local government jobs were down by 4,300, state employment decreased by 1,600 and there were 300 fewer jobs in the federal government. Information, which includes media, lost 400 jobs.
Both George Zeller of Cleveland, an economic research analyst, and Bret Crow, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokesman, agreed with Halbert that February had a good jobs report. Crow said in an email that Ohio was "experiencing one of the best monthly jobs reports of the Kasich administration."
However, Zeller was more concerned about what the recent revisions to 2017 employment numbers show. The department routinely makes revisions as more data becomes available. Zeller said looking at the calendar year 2017, Ohio didn't have any net job growth. Halbert and Crow say that from December 2016 to December 2017 Ohio gained 32,200 jobs.
Crow said department officials "can't figure out how Mr. Zeller came to his conclusions."
"According to the actual data that includes the most recent revisions, Ohio gained 32,200 total non-farm jobs in 2017," Crow said in an email.
Zeller stands by his calculations.
"There was a very large downward revision to last year's job gains," he said. "That means Ohio had a net gain of zero jobs in 2017. There were a few months last year were we had job gains of 10,000, but all of that has been revised away. Last year had the weakest job growth of any year since the end of the Great Recession."
Zeller said job growth this year hasn't been enough to offset 2017's dismal employment data.
"Ohio's job growth between February 2017 and February 2018 was 0.03 percent," he said. "That is virtually zero. The USA job growth rate was 1.57 percent."
Halbert said Ohio needs to see continued job growth.
"Ohio is benefiting from strong national job growth," she wrote. "This helps, but it also highlights how far off the mark Ohio's has been in comparison to the national average."
She said the unanswered question is whether the good job growth in January and February will be 'Blip or boon?"
Ohio had 262,000 unemployed workers in February, down 9,000 from January. In order to be counted as unemployed a person must both be jobless and actively looking for work.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1 percent for February, with the nation gaining 313,000 jobs, according to the jobs report the Labor Department released March 9th.
By design, the nation's jobs report offers more detailed information than that of Ohio and most states.
Highlights from the U.S. jobs report included:
Unemployment by race -- Asian workers had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent, followed by white workers at 3.7 percent. Hispanic workers had a 4.9 percent jobless rate and black workers had a 6.9 percent unemployment rate.
Unemployment by gender -- Men had an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent and the rate for women was 3.8 percent.
Labor Force -- The U.S. labor force participation rate increased by 0.3 of a percentage point over the month to 63 percent. This measures the share of the population that is neither employed nor actively seeking work.
Ohio's labor force participation rate was 62.6 percent, unchanged from January, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Friday.
"Ohio is continuing to see positive job growth path, yet an unchanged labor force participation rate is concerning as it shows some individuals are discouraged from job searching," said Andrew J. Kidd, an economist at The Buckeye Institute, said in a news release.
The nation's employment-to-population ratio was 60.4 percent, up 0.3 of a percentage point from January. This measures the he ratio of the labor force currently employed to the total working-age population.
Ohio's employment-to-population ratio was 59.7 percent in February, unchanged from the month before, the Ohio Department of Job and Family reported Friday.