Numbers released Friday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show the seasonally adjusted rate of joblessness at 7.2 percent for the second consecutive month, although there were modest gains in hiring. It's still the lowest level since September 2008.
The unchanged percentage rate in July stalled 11 consecutive months of decreases in Ohio's jobless rate. Compared with June's figures, the state's non-farm payrolls grew by 11,000.
The agency said the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in July was down by 2000 compared to June numbers, and the number of unemployed has decreased by 97,000 in the past 12 months.
The U.S. unemployment rate for July was 8.3 percent, up from 8.2 percent in June. And there are still major concerns over so-called real unemployment figures, that grow considerably when those who have stopped looking for work are figured into the totals.