Lt. Governor talks jobs, the economy while in Chillicothe

CHILLICOTHE— The Lt. Governor Jon Husted put it simply, "We are now creating jobs faster than we can find people to fill them."

Husted recently stopped by Chillicothe to have a meeting with the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce. This discussion was held to discuss items in the Executive Version of the State Operating Budget related to the Common Sense Initiative (CSI), TechCred, the All Ohio Future Fund and more.

Attendees of the meeting included Husted, chamber members, business leaders and those involved in local education. Husted started the meeting by talking about the highs and lows Ohio, America and businesses have seen over the past years.

One issue surrounding the economy is that businesses for many years moved overseas. Husted said you need to be able to trust a supply chain when it is making essential items, and the best way to do that is by not relying on outside sources.

With businesses wanting to come back, Ohio is trying to be prepared so that the state is a top contender for where they want to land. This includes having sites ready for businesses to move into with utilities, roads, tax reforms and a willing workforce.

Having a willing and educated workforce was the most talked about topic at the roundtable. With new businesses coming to the state they will need thousands of local workers.

One way to increase the number of people in the workforce is by helping those on public assistance or those newly out of incarceration get a job. Husted said there needs to be a pathway to get people the education and training they need to do higher-paying jobs.

"We need to do a better job at helping everybody get off the bench and into the game," said Husted.

Another reason Husted said the workforce is shrinking is the birth rate declining. With fewer children being born there are fewer people to go into the workforce. He said having fewer people is a reality so the state needs to account for that and learn to adapt by investing in technology.

While Husted said he doesn't think it is the government's place to be telling people that they should be having kids the budget does have a plan for offering help to parents. This would come in the form of a child tax deduction, allowing families to keep more of the money they earn.

Technology was also a big topic as Husted said he has heard many times how technology will take away jobs but he does not believe this to be true. It is instead just changing the nature of human workers who will now become technicians and software engineers who control and work on the machinery.

To train the workforce on this new technology the budget is adding $300 million to career and technical education. Husted this will help to expand the capacity of these vocational schools and ensure they have the best technology to train young adults going into the workforce.

Jonathan Davis, superintendent of the Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center, said that this money would greatly help the school as they have seen interest in vocational schools grow largely over the last few years. Almost all of the students at the school find a placement before they graduate, so having more room for students would allow for more people to graduate and go directly to work.

One thing brought up by participants was getting education for older individuals in the community who want to work but don't have the skills. While the community has options the pathway is unclear for many. Mike Throne, Chamber President and CEO, said he wants to work with local businesses, organizations and schools to help connect people and create a clear pathway for those seeking education.

Husted also talked about how all of the training and new jobs will help everyone in the community. He said by getting people better-paying jobs they can go spend more money locally, thus giving back to the local economy.

After the meeting, Husted said he enjoyed his time being able to hear from local people about what they find to be important. He said going into towns around the state helps him have a better understanding of what citizens need and want to see happen.

"I think it's really important to have these discussions," said Husted. "I want folks at the local level to understand the kinds of things we are working on at the state level. Then I need to hear from them about what their needs are so that we can make sure we are responsive to their concerns."

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Lt. Governor talks jobs, the economy while in Chillicothe