Job numbers rebound from COVID
After being buffeted by the headwinds created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio job numbers have rebounded, only to face new pressures.
Currently, the unemployment rate in Ohio is at a "historically low" 3.9%, ODJFS Director Director Matt Damschroder told a group of local leaders on Tuesday. Muskingum County had an unemployment rate of 4.3%, down from 6.3% in February 2020. "We came back from pandemic numbers in impressive fashion." The labor force locally contracted by some 250 people, Damschroder said, but gained almost 600 jobs since.
"Overall the challenge can be best defined as a tight labor market," he said, "whether it was COVID-related early retirement or the competition of Federal programs, now we are in a tight spot where there are wage challenges and pressure on employers."
Federal programs have largely ended, Damschroder said, but now businesses are facing the ability to retain employees, especially due to the rising cost of child care. One of the things the state has done to tackle the issue was "hero pay" for childcare workers, and programs to help providers survive the pandemic. Inflation is also playing a role in the job market, forcing some early COVID retirees back into the labor market.
To illustrate the problem, Damschroder said there are more than 224,000 jobs listed on the Ohio Means Jobs website, with about 130,000 of them paying more than $50,000 annually. The director said while it is informative to look at the unemployment number, it is also important to look at the number of continuing claims, people who are granted unemployment after losing a job who continue to file for unemployment. Most people are not staying on unemployment very long, he said.
To be considered unemployed, Damschroder said that a worker has to be able to work, available to work, and actively searching for work. For example, he a said, a recent retiree who could return to work but chooses not to, is not considered unemployed.
With the massive Intel microchip plan on the horizon in neighboring Licking County, Damschroder said it is important that the state prepares workers for the coming jobs. The state has poured millions over the last two years into job training programs like TechCred, which helps employees and employers get new skill certifications. IMAP, the state's Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, helps "Ohioans who are low income, partially unemployed, or totally unemployed participate in a training program to receive a credential at no cost," according to the Ohio Means Jobs website.
The state is also working with various educational institutions to make sure students are learning skills the state needs. Work related to Ohio's growing broadband program has been the focus of late.
"Whether it is Intel of other opportunities, we need to make sure we are training the workforce to be ready for these jobs," Damschroder said.
Over the last ten years or so, the state has gone from being a net exporter of jobs to being flat, Damschroder said, "which is a great improvement."
"When we look at the Intel project, it is a generational project," Damschroder said, between the employees directly working for Intel, the years' worth of construction jobs, and vendors and downstream support. "I think the optimism around the state is palpable," he said, "It is a very exciting time to be in Ohio."
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Job numbers rebound from COVID
