Cincinnati Ohio Economic Development

Cincinnati's economic signs point to job growth

Business Courier
The leading economic indicator index for Greater Cincinnati rose 0.4 percent from March to 98.1 in April. It hit its highest level in more than a year.

The gain suggests job growth should continue through the summer, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which released the data on Thursday.

The index reached 98.1 in April, an increase of 1.4 percent from a year ago.

The local index paints a rosier picture than the state and national figures do. Ohio’s index gained just 0.1 percent in April to 90.4. That indicates that Ohio’s employment will grow slightly during the summer, the state agency said. The national figure declined by 0.3 percent.

Greater Cincinnati’s employment rose 0.2 percent from March and 0.9 percent from the prior year, according to the data. That fueled the local index’s gains.

Unemployment claims, another of the key indicators, rose 0.8 percent from March, but they plunged 9.3 percent from a year ago.

Valuation of housing permits dropped by more than 15 percent, both from the previous month and from the prior year.

Read more: Cincinnati’s economic signs point to job growth | Business Courier