The number of new unemployment claims hit a five-month low in Ohio last week, suggesting an improving economy and fewer fraudulent claims. Over the last 56 weeks, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has distributed more than $9.4 billion in jobless payments to more than 986,000 Ohioans. Here’s a look at Ohio’s workforce participation rate and employment-population ratio, as well as employment and unemployment numbers since the start of the pandemic. 4/15/2021