Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, has provided an analysis of Ohio’s November jobs report, which was released after a delay caused by the federal government shutdown that also resulted in the cancellation of October’s report.
Hederman stated, “Ohio’s delayed November jobs report continues the trend seen in the September report, with an improved unemployment rate of 4.5 percent—slightly better than the national average of 4.6 percent—and a downturn in the labor force participation rate to 62.3 percent—worse than the national average of 62.5 percent.
“Despite the improved unemployment rate, November’s private-sector employment is 14,000 jobs below August’s peak, confirming that Ohio’s job market is weakening. The belated November report confirms that Ohio’s job market struggled in the fall of 2025, with private-sector employment falling since Labor Day and more Ohioans leaving the job market over the same period. What is unclear, and we won’t know until the December jobs report is released later this month, is whether Ohio’s job market has stabilized.”
The Buckeye Institute is a non-partisan nonprofit think tank based on Capitol Square in Columbus, Ohio. It provides research and legal advocacy to policymakers and focuses on advancing free-market public policy through data analysis and policy recommendations. Since its founding in 1989 as an independent organization dedicated to research and education, it has concentrated on promoting free-market ideas both within Ohio and nationally (https://limpar.locallabs.com/organizations/a3850178-809a-4ca7-a725-59437705d4aa). The institute relies on private funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations (https://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/).
