The numbers of Ohioans filing for unemployment benefits are rising daily – so many that the state’s unemployment website was having trouble handling them. And the state is now clarifying why it will no longer do daily releases about how many people are filing jobless claims.
For the first few days of shutdowns related to coronavirus, the state was releasing unemployment claims filings daily, as they soared from around 562 on March 8 to more than 28,000 on March 19.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says he’s frustrated that those numbers will now be released weekly.
“I believe that we should be allowed to release it on a daily basis, but that’s what they asked for, and we have to collaborate, we have to work together.”
139,468 Ohioans filed for unemployment in the first five days of last week (from March 15 to March 19). That compares to 4,815 in same first five days the previous week.
The U.S. Department of Labor sent a letter telling states to hold unemployment claims filings until national data is released on Thursday mornings, saying it’s monitored closely by policy makers and financial markets.
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