The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported that there were 12,320 initial traditional unemployment claims filed last week in Ohio, marking an increase of 2,713 from the earlier week. The state also saw an uptick in continued traditional unemployment claims – the number for the week of Dec. 17-23 was 49,464, a rise of 1,724 over the previous week. Among the initial unemployment claims, 3,587 were flagged for a stringent identity verification process to prevent fraud. As of November, Ohio’s unemployment rate stood at 3.6%, slightly below the national unemployment rate of 3.7%. The labor force participation rate in Ohio in November was 62%, compared to the national rate of 62.8%.