Ohio adds 12,000 jobs in May

State needs to add 12,600 jobs to get back to prerecession levels.

T he state needs 12,600 jobs to get back to pre-recession employment levels,

O hio employers added 12,000 jobs to the state’s economy in M ay,but the unemployment rate remained unchanged from A pril at 5.2 percent,according to figures released Friday by the O hio D epartment of Job and Family Services.

While the jobless rate held steady,the growth in nonfarm payrolls last month — the strongest month for hiring so far this year — pushed O hio to the brink of recapturing the total number of jobs lost since the last recession began in D ecember 2007.

T he state now needs 12,600 jobs to get back to pre-recession employment levels,according to Policy M atters O hio,a state-based think-tank with offices in Cleveland and Columbus.

“While it is not enough to put us on par with the national average or to push the state to full recovery,today’s numbers are a welcome sign after a shaky winter,” said H annah H albert,a labor market researcher at Policy M atters.

H iring slowed in the first quarter this year in O hio and across the country as harsh winter weather and other factors contributed to a slowdown in economic activity.

B ut job growth rebounded in most parts of the country last month as the national economy added 280,000 jobs, the U.S.B ureau of Labor Statistics (B LS) reported earlier this month.

A cross the country,37states added jobs last month,12 states cut jobs and hiring was flat in M ontana,according to the B LS.

O hio has added 76,700 jobs over the past year,but the state’s 12-month job growth rate of 1.4percent continued to trail the national average, which was 2.2 percent,Policy M atters found.

“T aking a longer view,it is clear that O hio must pick up the pace to break its record of under-performance,” H albert said.

In O hio,the leisure and hospitality industries generated jobs at the quickest pace over the past year,adding 21,200 to the state total,according to the state jobs report.T hat was followed by trade,transportation, and utilities (+17,200) and educational and health services (+10,600).