Ohio jobless claims over last seven weeks more than the past three years combined

Ohio has seen more jobless claims filed over the last seven weeks than for the last three years combined, according to a release from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Thursday.

The department reported 61,083 initial jobless claims this past week to the U.S. Department of Labor, a news release said.

The number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last seven weeks (1,118,569) is 1,112 more than the combined total of 1,117,457 for the last three years, it added.

Over these last seven weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $1.9 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 536,000 Ohioans.

Hanging over the heads of the Ohio General Assembly is the fact that the state’s unemployment fund is slated to run out in June. When this has happened previously, Ohio lawmakers have turned to the federal government for loans, thereby raising rates on businesses down the line.

ODJFS urges individuals to file their claims online, if possible, at unemployment.ohio.gov.