Ohio on verge of setting record job mark

After adding nearly 14,000 jobs in August, Ohio is closing in on the long-elusive mark of 5.64 million jobs that has not been eclipsed since 2000. The latest numbers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show that the state is now just 10,500 jobs away from reaching its highest job rate since 2000. According to the Columbus Dispatch, however, the number of jobless Ohioans stayed stagnant despite the increase in jobs. That figure is stuck at 4.6 percent of people in the state without a job. Per the Department of Job statistics, the main job-creating sector in the state was the private education and health care sector, which added 7,800 jobs last month. Ohio cities have ranked among the top for growing tech scenes, and three of them were included in the top seven of a recent poll ranking the top locations for Midwestern startups. This has represented a similar pattern from previous years, as Ohio cities usually dominate the “Best of” lists for Midwestern cities when it comes to creating tech jobs and providing a positive startup atmosphere. Last year, the tech sector added 3,000 jobs in Ohio and is expected to be on a similar track this year. Economist Mark Vitner told the Columbus Dispatch he predicts the good job fortune will continue in Ohio’s favor as the overall US economy continues to do well. “The strength of the economy is broadening and lifting more of the economy,” he said. “The economy is strong, but not strong in a way that it is generating inflating pressure.”