OHIO — The state saw a rise in initial and continued unemployment claims during the first week of December according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

From Dec. 1 to Dec. 7, Ohio saw 61,828 total claims filed.

Of those, 10,519 were initial claims, an increase of 3,186 from the previous week. Approximately 1,164 were flagged for identity verification to avoid fraud. 

Ohioans also filed 51,309 continued unemployment claims, 6,210 more than the previous week.

The state’s unemployment rate in October was 4.3% while the national rate was 4.1%. For the same month Ohio’s labor force participation rate was 62.5% and the national rate was 62.6%.