Ohio unemployment drops to 6.9 percent

CINCINNATI - There was a lot of bell ringing and applause at Cincinnati Works inside the CityLinks building on Friday.

All the excitement was signaling an end to Joshua Lyle's hunt for a job.

"I was super-excited," he said. "I didn't know what to do."

For the past 6 months, Joshua spent his days filling out applications and emailing his resume to employers. No one responded.

"I was getting a little frustrated and grumpy," he said.

He turned to Cincinnati Works, an organization that networks with employers looking to hire. With their help, he landed his first interview, with Citi, in Erlanger. And to his surprise, he was hired on the spot.

That's a big change from last year.

"We were pounding the pavement every week asking employers, do you need anybody?" said Cincinnati Works' Madeleine Kipperman. "Most of the time is was, 'Well, Madeleine, when we need someone, we'll give you a call'."

Now her phone is lighting up.

"There is actually days where I can't get all of the job leads on the sheet," she said.

The latest numbers from Ohio Job and Family Services confirm the good news. The state's unemployment rate dropped under to 6.9 percent in October which is down from 8.3 percent a year earlier.

That translates into 88,000 more people bringing home paychecks.
 
"It's very exciting," Kipperman said.

In fact, many companies like complain they can't find enough workers. One jobs website, jobopenings.ne t, shows thousands of jobs waiting to be filled here in the Tri-State.
    
Still, Kipperman says job hunters have to keep their game face on.

"You have to remain positive, you've got to remain confident, you've got to keep your skills current," she said.

With perseverance, more people may be echoing Joshua Lyle.

"I start on Monday," said Lyle.