Ohio initial unemployment claims rise, continued claims decline

Ohio reported an increase in new unemployment claims during the latest reporting week, while the number of residents continuing to receive benefits declined.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says Ohioans filed 5,055 initial unemployment claims from July 19 through July 25. That was 630 more than the previous week.

Approximately 863 of the initial claims were flagged for additional identity verification to determine whether they may be fraudulent.

The state also received 41,239 continued unemployment claims during the week, a decrease of 2,514 from the previous reporting period.

A total of 46,294 initial and continued claims were filed statewide.

Ohio’s unemployment rate stood at 3.6 percent in June, compared with the national rate of 4.2 percent. The state’s labor force participation rate was 61.6 percent, slightly above the national rate of 61.5 percent.

Residents seeking employment or training assistance can visit one of Ohio’s 88 OhioMeansJobs centers. Services include job searches, career assessments, résumé assistance and interview preparation.

Unemployment claims can be filed online at unemployment.ohio.gov. Anyone who believes their identity was used to file a fraudulent claim can also report the incident through the website.