Falling Unemployment Continues to Pose Workforce Challenges

Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to drop, hovering at 4.3% based on April data. Many areas are experiencing unemployment rates well below the statewide average, with more than one-third of Ohio counties claiming jobless rates of 3.0% or less. While positive in terms of the economy, this exacerbates manufacturers’ efforts to fill openings.

Local press coverage of Ohio’s falling unemployment has captured some interesting stories behind the story, including the following narratives:

• Bimbo Bakeries’ Employee Relations Manager Joe Goldsmith told the Zanesville Times Recorder that many prospective employees can’t pass mandatory drug screenings. “We’ve had more failed drug tests for potential new hires this year than we have the last six years together,” he said.
• Company Wrench owner Brad Hutchinson told the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, “There are more jobs out there than there are people. We can’t find enough people to work. We’re actually turning business away because we don’t have enough employees.”
• The quarterly Manpower survey for central Ohio — which boasts a 2.7% unemployment rate — shows a job market so tight that each qualified applicant for some lower-skill jobs is getting three offers, said a Manpower spokesman. 6/20/2019

Stories like these are one reason why the OMA has devised a workforce roadmap, while helping organize Ohio’s industry sector partnerships — a proven strategy for meeting the workforce needs of employers. 6/18/2019