Central Ohio’s jobless rate inched up in May

Central Ohio’s jobless rate rose in May after hitting a 16-year low in April.

The unemployment rate for the Columbus metropolitan area hit 3.7 percent last month compared with 3.4 percent in April, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services figures released Tuesday.

Even with the increase, the jobless rate remains the lowest among the state’s metro areas in Ohio and below the U.S. average of 4.3 percent. Cincinnati had the next-lowest rate at 3.9 percent.

The unemployment rate climbed in most of the state’s metro areas and 53 of the state’s 88 counties last month. Rates fell in 27 counties and remained the same in eight counties.

Rates often rise in May as school ends and students begin looking for work.

Unlike the state jobless rate of 4.9 percent that was released on Friday, the rates for the counties and metro areas are not adjusted to Delaware Fairfield Franklin Hocking Licking Madison Morrow Perry Pickaway Union Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services take into account seasonal variations.

State figures showed that central Ohio added 5,600 jobs last month and 17,200 over the past year.

But the number of jobless workers rose by 3,000 last month, and that pushed up the unemployment rate.

“The labor market in the Columbus metro area continues to be strong,” according to a report issued this week by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Job gains in the region have outpaced the state and nation on a percentage basis since the economic recovery began, the report said.

“Partly as a consequence, the level of employment in the area is about 8 percent higher than it was in December 2007 (when the last expansion ended), whereas it is about a half a percent higher statewide and 5 percent higher nationally,” the report said.

Local economist Bill LaFayette, owner of economic-consulting firm Regionomics, said his seasonal adjustments show the region’s unemployment rate rose to 4 percent last month from April, and that the region has lost jobs the past two months. Also, the labor force has been falling, he said.

“It could be that we have just gotten ahead of ourselves,” he said of the more recent data. “Over the next few months, it will start to give us an indication.”