Saturday Stats: Numeric news from Policy Matters
Posted October 22, 2021 in eNews
9,900: The number of jobs Ohio employers added last month. In our monthly JobWatch report, Researcher Michael Shields wrote that Ohio is recovering jobs about a third as quickly as the nation. Our state’s unemployment rate of 5.4% is higher than the national rate of 4.8%. More proof that Ohioans still need safe workplaces and child care to get back to work, and robust unemployment benefits while they search.
591,000: That’s how many working Ohioans would be newly eligible for unemployment compensation if a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown becomes law. Bill sponsors proposed it as an amendment to the Build Back Better plan. Michael explains how passing it would improve the Ohio unemployment system, which makes it harder for people to qualify for benefits than in all but four states.
22 months: This year, October 21 marked the day the typical Latina would have to work into 2021 to make the same a typical white man did in 2020 – that’s 22 months! Latinas are paid $.57 for every $1 made by white men. Our partners Essential Ohio hosted a conversation about the racist and sexist policies that allow Latinas to be underpaid, and what we can do to change it.
700: When a group of 60 extremists tried to ban diversity and inclusion in Chagrin Falls, a local mom found 700 people to sign her letter supporting the curriculum. That’s just one example of Ohioans coming together across race and place to defend honesty in education. Caitlin Johnson wrote an op-ed for Cleveland.com about why we all must do our part to ensure our kids can learn from the past so they can build a better future.
50,900: That is how many jobs could be created in Ohio alone if federal policymakers adopt ReImagine Appalachia’s plan to revive the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps and make it inclusive for people of all races and genders and those with a conviction in their past. ReImagine Appalachia recently launched a video with Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania to promote the plan. Check it out and share it widely!
29.5%: Although Black people make up nearly half of Cleveland residents, they hold only 29.5% of jobs working construction. The local hiring ordinance, known as the Fannie Lewis Law, helped ensure Cleveland residents got construction jobs when the city contracted with a private company. State lawmakers preempted that highly effective local law. It’s part of a troubling trend across the country in which state policymakers nix cities' attempts to expand opportunity for people of all races. A new report from EARN and the Economic Policy Institute has more.