Jobless rate in region falls to 4 percent

Central Ohio’s jobless rate fell to 4 percent in March from 4.5 percent in February, pushing the region back toward a post-recession low.

All of the state’s metropolitan areas and 85 of the 88 counties had a lower rate last month than the month before, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data released Tuesday.

The county and metroarea jobless figures are not adjusted to take into account seasonal variations. Unemployment rates typically fall in March as the weather warms and outdoor activity picks up.

Last year, the central Ohio unemployment rate hit 3.7 percent in May and again in November. Those rates were the lowest in 15 years.

“The Columbus area is still doing very well. Jobs at the national level ( are being driven) by the service sector. That’s the bread and butter for Columbus, and that’s doing well,” said Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide.

Ayers said it is not likely that the unemployment rate will fall much more in central Ohio.

“We’re reaching the potential at the national level and local level where we’re approaching full employment,” he said.

The region added 6,200 jobs last month, led by an increase of 2,600 in the professional- and business- services sector.

The private- education and health- care sector added 1,800 jobs, the leisure and hospitality sector added 1,100, and the construction sector gained 900.

The finance sector lost 900 jobs, and the segment that includes the struggling retail sector shed 600.

Columbus and Franklin County had jobless rates of 3.9 percent.

Delaware County’s rate of 3.3 percent was tied for the second lowest among counties, trailing only the 3 percent rate in Mercer County in northwestern Ohio. Monroe County had the highest rate in the state at 9.6 percent.