A report on the state of labor in Ohio shows the pay gap between the highest and lowest workers continues to widen, and union representation is falling. Those are just two findings in a progressive-leaning think tank's 2025 State of Working Ohio report

Heather Smith, working wages researcher for Policy Matters Ohio, said working people are struggling. She said the lowest-paid workers in 2024 taking a 24-cent pay cut, when adjusted for inflation. And Smith said the signs are not good for the near future.

“Job growth is pretty sluggish. The unemployment rate is rising. And these are very early signals that the state of working in Ohio might get harder for a lot of people," said Smith in an interview.

Ohio's jobless rate has been steadily climbing in the last two years, from July 2023's

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