Ohio employment has a long history of strength, particularly in the manufacturing employment sector. This strength is primarily due to one key advantage that Ohio enjoys in comparison with the majority of the United States: distribution and logistics. Thanks to its strategic location near the center of the United States, Ohio boasts an unparalleled logistics capability. As a result, the costs to distribute across the corporate supply chain, from raw material acquisition to warehousing and shipping of finished manufactured commercial products, are irresistible to potential employers.
American companies have clamored to position their manufacturing plants and warehouses within Ohio, and the state continues to support these moves with tax incentives. Unfortunately, the slowing economy has hit Ohio employment harder than that of other states. Attractive distribution costs carry less weight when sales are down.
Ohio unemployment
Ohio unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 3.6% to a rate of 10.5%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Ohio Employment Opportunities
Strength in manufacturing and distribution has historically led to a wealth of Ohio employment opportunities in adjacent support industries, such as banking, insurance, health, utilities, and research and development. In fact, more than sixty Fortune 1000 companies maintain their corporate headquarters in the state of Ohio. Among those making the Fortune Top 100 list include Cardinal Health, Proctor and Gamble, Kroger, and Macy’s.
Other highly ranked employers who call Ohio home include Nationwide Insurance, Goodyear, Eaton, American Electric Power, First Energy, Progressive Insurance, Parker Hannifin, and Limited Brands. Thanks to its strength in manufacturing and distribution, Ohio employment boasts some of the top names in American companies. However, the manufacturing industry and related supply chain and support functions are traditionally the first to feel the impact of a national recession.
The unemployment rate in Ohio is currently at a twenty-year high, hovering around 10.8%, in comparison with the United States national average unemployment rate of 9.4%. The Ohio Bureau of Labor Market, a subdivision of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, in conjunction with the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, published Ohio employment projections through 2016 in a 2006 document entitled, “Ohio Job Outlook”.
Because Ohio’s population is increasing at a slower rate than the United States population, and because Ohio per capita income is not rising as quickly as the overall United States per capita income, Ohio employment is expected to grow less quickly than the overall national rate. The “Ohio Job Outlook” blames a large percentage of this stunted growth on the failed automobile industry, which resulted in a significant number of Ohio employment cuts within the last year. T
he Outlook projects just under three hundred thousand new jobs within the 2006-2016 decade, which are expected to dominate the service industries, rather than the manufactured goods industry. Leading the pack with more than half of the projected jobs is the education and health services industry.
The professional and business services industry is in second place, adding about one hundred thousand jobs, and leisure and hospitality hit the third place spot, at just under fifty thousand jobs. Financial, other service, construction, transportation, government, and retail industries make up the remainder of projected jobs, with less than twenty thousand jobs apiece. Meanwhile, manufacturing is projected to eliminate a staggering one hundred fifty thousand jobs.
Ohio Employment Resources
Ohio employment is growing, then, but not in the manufacturing or distribution sectors. Service jobs will dominate the Ohio employment marketplace, and individuals seeking employment in Ohio will have better luck landing a position with skills in the growing industries.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services 2009 Economic Analysis, the job markets grew from 2000 to 2008 in Akron, Cincinnati, and Columbus, while jobs have declined in the Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown areas. The more global job portals, such as Monster.com and Careerbuilder.net, can be optimized for local Ohio job searches in the indicated growth areas of education, health services, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, or the other industries projected to see added jobs in the next several years.
Additionally, the state of Ohio also supports Ohio employment by matching employers with job seekers at https://ohiomeansjobs.com/omj/. Job seekers may register for free, post a resume, and search local Ohio employment opportunities. In fact, OhioMeansJobs.com offers the ability to manage and post a resume and profile information on both the OhioMeansJobs.com and Monster.com portals simultaneously.
Ohio Living Conditions
For job seekers considering moving to Ohio, the state has much to offer in addition to employment opportunities. Due to its location on the border between the Appalachian mountains and the sprawling Midwest, Ohio landscapes boast everything from cornfields to mountain foothills. Its metropolitan centers are home to cultural centers, world-renowned universities, and fast-paced city living.
The surrounding suburban communities are convenient and family-friendly, with reasonable commutes to city jobs. Quiet rural communities fill the gap, most within a thirty-minute drive from the major downtown metropolitan areas across the state. Outdoor recreational offerings are in abundance, from the highly-ranked Ohio golf courses, to the camping, hunting, and hiking opportunities in the rural areas, to the gorgeous Ohio lakes that offer boating, fishing, and swimming.
For sports fans who enjoy attending a good game, Ohio is home to the Cleveland Browns and Indians, Cincinnati Bengals, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, to name just a few of the better-known teams. In addition to sporting events, urban areas offer aquariums and zoos, science centers and museums, botanical gardens, historic districts, theatres, concerts, conventions, art districts, shopping, and multicultural meal choices. Suburban communities host community theatres and choirs, places of worship, parks, and good districts with high rankings, for families with children considering a move to Ohio.
Ohio Employment
Despite the global recession and its impact on Ohio employment, job seekers considering relocating to Ohio have much in the way of opportunity. Employment growth is more pronounced in Akron, Cincinnati, and Columbus, and in service industries such as education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality. If you are looking for a job, you and your family can achieve professional and personal goals by finding Ohio employment.
