COLUMBUS —
Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped slightly last month to its lowest in four years, as voters in the presidential battleground state got their last update on job figures before the election.
The unemployment rate was 7 percent in September, after three consecutive months of holding steady at 7.2 percent, according to data released Friday from the state Department of Job and Family Services. It’s the lowest rate since September 2008, when the rate was also 7 percent.
The number of unemployed Ohio workers fell by about 7,000 from August to 406,000 last month.
The state’s unemployment rate, which remains below the national rate of 7.8 percent, declined even as companies shed 12,800 jobs compared with August.
The manufacturing sector lost 6,400 jobs last month, according to state figures. The losses stemmed almost entirely from machinery and metal manufacturing — not from automobile manufacturing. State officials attributed the reduction partly to an international slowdown in exports.
But there were sectors where employment increased.
Ohio saw job gains of more than 1,500 in professional and businesses services last month. The retail industry added about 4,000 jobs, boosted by holiday hiring.
Republican Gov. John Kasich has downplayed Ohio’s job numbers, warning of a possible economic slowdown.
As a supporter of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Kasich has faced the political dilemma of promoting the state’s recovery as a model while saying President Barack Obama’s policies are holding Ohio back.
Ohio has 18 electoral votes, seventh most in the nation, and no Republican has won the White House without carrying it.
Each side has used the job numbers in Ohio to portray their records in the best possible light.
On Friday, the Kasich administration had a mixed reaction.
“It’s encouraging that Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to drop and that the workforce is growing, but we’re far from out of the woods yet and too many Ohioans are still out of work,” spokesman Rob Nichols said in a statement. “The timid recovery overall and the stiff headwinds from Washington certainly aren’t helping.”
House Speaker John Boehner, who is from the Cincinnati area, has noted the political predicament in his home state. He’s said that Kasich’s success fixing government regulations and attracting new businesses as governor may be working against Romney in Ohio.
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Ohio’s unemployment rate falls to 7 percent
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