ohio unemployment
How much does Ohio lose when it turns down federal funds?
A story that has been roiling over the past weeks is Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to cancel the federal pandemic unemployment program. This decision came months before the federal expiration date on Sept. 6. News coverage of the decision focuses on $300 checks the governor’s decision is making unavailable to unemployed Ohioans. $300 does not […]
Ohio has recovered $150 million in fraudulent unemployment claims
The director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services recently announced the department is working with state and federal law enforcement to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment claims and billions more in overpayments that are not fraudulent in nature. From the beginning of the pandemic through May 2021, Ohio […]
Without supporting data, Ohio to end federal unemployment supplement
Citing fears that a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement was keeping Ohioans from returning to the workforce, Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced that he would end it. However, the governor was unable to cite any data showing that businesses’ trouble finding workers was due to the supplement and not other dislocations caused by the coronavirus […]
Mailbag: What’s up with the proposed $50 million ad campaign for Ohio?
Welcome back to another installment of the Ohio Capital Journal Mailbag, the only column that is single-handedly driving coastal millennials to relocate to the Buckeye State. Let’s get to it: Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to tbuc[email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. I’m curious what the $50 million ad campaign […]
A year in, DeWine names panel to recommend fixes to Ohio’s unemployment system. What took so long?
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced that he’s forming a public-private partnership to recommend improvements to the state’s struggling unemployment system. That system, operated by the Department of Job and Family Services, has experienced epic problems since the coronavirus pandemic started nearly a year ago. As with many other states, Ohio’s system was outdated […]
Ohio economists say return to school will boost the economy
Gov. Mike DeWine is trying to get Ohio students back in the classroom by March and he plans to give adults who work in classroom settings priority access to scarce doses of the coronavirus vaccine to bring that about. Doing so will provide a substantial benefit to the Ohio economy both over the short and […]
Ohio to boost rapid, at-home coronavirus testing
As Ohio struggles with a painfully limited supply of coronavirus vaccine, it is spending $50 million on rapid, at-home tests in order to quickly detect hot spots as they emerge. Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced the deal to purchase 2 million of the BinaxNow tests manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. A digital health platform called […]
Official unemployment rate doesn’t capture enormity of COVID-19 labor force fallout
We know COVID-19 has hurt workers, especially service industry workers, hard. A recent poll of Ohio economists conducted by my firm found 38 of 40 economists think the economic fallout of COVID-19 will fall disproportionately on low- and middle-income families, with economists citing the labor market structure as the major culprit of this inequitable outcome. […]
Ohio unemployment dips down to 8.9% in July
Ohio’s unemployment rate was 8.9% in July 2020, down from a revised 11.0% in June, according to a release last week from the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 62,700 over the month, from a revised 5,038,400 in June to 5,101,100 in July 2020, the release said. […]
‘Crime rings’ targeting federal unemployment, hurting jobless workers in need
“Sophisticated crime rings” are filing fraudulent claims targeting Ohio’s coronavirus pandemic relief programs and pocketing millions of dollars in benefits, according to the state’s unemployment offices. The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (DJFS) placed temporary holds on 270,000 suspected fraudulent unemployment claims filed under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program in July. The […]
As lawmakers squabble over unemployment, jobless workers face a big hit
Congress is continuing to squabble over whether to extend a federal supplement to unemployment insurance and if they do, by how much. But as they argue over whether to continue the supplement at $600-a-week level or some fraction of that, out-of-work Americans are left to worry whether they can survive on state benefits that often […]
Senate Republicans pursue benefits pay cut for jobless; adjourn without action
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders slammed Republicans Friday for leaving in the lurch millions of jobless Americans who are relying on enhanced unemployment benefits to stay financially afloat amid ongoing public health and economic crises. Republicans in Congress and the White House were engaged in heated negotiations this week over the details of their party’s proposal for a fifth […]