Human Resources

HR Roundup: Manufacturing Wages up 4.9%

• U.S. manufacturers have added 10,000 workers year to date, a significant slowdown from the 385,000 and 390,000 employees in 2021 and 2022, respectively. (Here are the sub-sectors leading in year-over-year job growth.)
  • This chart shows manufacturing job openings since the start of the pandemic.
  • Average hourly wages for production and non-supervisory employees in U.S. manufacturing jumped to $26.19 in May. Year-over-year wages were up 4.9%.
• Last week, new unemployment claims in Ohio were 61.17% higher than the previous week — the second-highest increase in the nation.
• U.S. worker productivity has dropped significantly — and that could mean trillions of dollars to the economy, experts say.
• One Source Advisors, an OMA Connections Partner, has published this update on HSAs, high-deductible health plans, and flexible spending accounts.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled companies can file lawsuits against unions for strike-related destruction of company property.
• Expect NLRB regional offices to begin issuing complaints challenging non-compete provisions as being unlawful, writes OMA Connections Partner Thompson Hine.
  • OMA Connections Partner Shumaker published this list of actions employers should consider if using non-competes.
• A forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision will make it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips predicts.

Meanwhile, the EEOC has issued new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in hiring, according to this guidance from Bricker Graydon, the OMA’s general counsel. 6/8/2023

HR Roundup: Ohio’s Initial Jobless Claims Soar

• Non-compete provisions in employment and severance agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act in most cases, according to a memo from the NLRB’s general counsel.
  • OMA Connections Partner Calfee advises employers to recognize that non-compete agreements will now be subject to scrutiny by the NLRB. OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has also published guidance regarding the NLRB memo.
• Increased work requirements are set to be implemented for certain federal welfare programs as a result of the debt ceiling deal.
• Nearly half of workers aren’t taking all their paid time off, a new report says.
• When it comes to employers’ efforts to attract Gen Z, younger workers appear to most appreciate pay transparency and better job descriptions, a new study finds.
• Companies can increase the volume and quality of employee suggestions and ideas by offering a choice of rewards, a recent study has found.

Meanwhile, here’s Ohio’s latest county-by-county unemployment map, which shows several counties with jobless rates under 3.5% in April. However, initial jobless claims doubled statewide throughout May. 6/1/2023

HR Roundup: Four-Day Workweek Lessons

• ManufacturingDive reports on lessons learned by a mid-sized manufacturer that implemented a four-day workweek, only to return to its previous system two months later.
• Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.7% in April — the lowest level since 1976 — while labor force participation was 61.8%. Manufacturing added 700 jobs as the sector approaches its employment level of early 2020, before COVID-19.
• LinkedIn’s recruiting platform will soon allow HR professionals to use generative AI to send personalized messages to prospective applicants.
• In its analysis of DE&I initiatives, OMA Connections Partner BSI has suggested these steps that employers can take to boost employee well-being.
• A recent SHRM study showed that 30% of U.S. workers say they have felt unfairly treated due to their age.

Meanwhile, to help employers re-evaluate their hiring standards and practices, OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published this list of five ways to rethink job requirements. 5/24/2023

Bill Would Require Employers to Provide Pay Stubs

Ohio lawmakers are considering House Bill 106, which would require employers provide their workers with a pay stub or access to a pay stub. Bill sponsors say it’s necessary to protect against wage theft. HB 106 received its second hearing this week. See the bill summary. 5/17/2023

OMA Webinar: Attracting, Retaining Talent

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 24, the OMA will host a webinar on strategies to attract and retain talent. Experts from OMA Connections Partner Gallagher will share insights on building workforce resiliency, as well as the impact of culture and leader influence on talent and employee well-being. OMA members can register at no cost. 5/18/2023

HR Roundup: Ohio’s Labor Situation Better Than Most

• Despite having only 79 people to fill every 100 open jobs, Ohio’s worker shortage is still one of the least severe in the nation, the U.S. Chamber reports.
• As of May 11, there were more than 21,700 manufacturing-related job openings posted at OhioMeansJobs.
• Ohio’s total employment is predicted to decrease at an annual rate of -4.43% for the next six months, according to the most recent Leading Indicators Report.
• The U.S. Department of Labor has updated its required workplace poster to include breast milk pumping breaks for exempt employees.

Meanwhile, the Society for Human Resource Management has published this insight on suggested ways employers can address the generational divide between older and younger employees. 5/11/2023

HR Roundup: Manufacturing Compensation Up 4.2%

• Compensation costs (wages, salaries, and benefits) for U.S. private employees were up 4.8% from March 2022 to March 2023, according to federal data. For manufacturers, the increase was 4.2%, down from 4.9% during the previous 12 months.
• According to federal data, U.S. manufacturers saw more separations in March than new hires.
  • U.S. manufacturing job openings fell to 693,000, the lowest since April 2021, while layoffs hit their highest level since July 2020.
• Data also show labor productivity declines were widespread among U.S. manufacturers in 2022, with decreases in 66 of the 86 manufacturing-related NAICS codes.
• OMA Connections Partner CliftonLarsonAllen has published this guidance for HR leaders to re-evaluate their workplace policies and processes three years after the start of COVID-19.
• OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips has published this article on the top 10 ways employers can avoid regular rate wage mistakes.
• In this analysis, OMA Connections Partner Calfee reports Columbus has become Ohio’s third major city to enact a salary history ban.

Meanwhile, OMA Connections Partner Dinsmore reports that companies doing business with the federal government scored a major COVID-19-related victory after a federal court rejected a claim by former employees who claimed their rights were violated when they were terminated for failing to comply with the company’s vaccination policy. 5/4/2023

HR Roundup: Ohio Manufacturers Added 4,200 Jobs in March

• Ohio’s unemployment rate tied a record low in March, dropping to 3.8% for the first time in 22 years.
• Ohio manufacturers led the U.S. with 4,200 jobs added in March, returning Ohio’s manufacturing jobs total to more than 690,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• This map shows the latest jobless rates in every Ohio county.
• The FTC has closed the public comment period on its proposed rule to ban non-compete clauses, reports OMA Connections Partner Shumaker. The firm says compliance with the rule could be required as early as December.
• The NLRB ruled this week that Tesla supervisors violated federal labor law by telling employees not to discuss pay and other working conditions, or to bring complaints to higher level managers.
• OMA Connections Partner Vorys advises employers that the end of the COVID-19 emergency could impact health care plans.

Meanwhile, Ohio Business magazine has examined how employers and HR leaders are addressing “quiet quitting” during the ongoing labor shortfall. 4/27/2023

Who’s Behind Ohio’s $15 Minimum Wage Effort?

This week, organizers of Ohio’s $15 minimum wage initiative said they’re “mobilizing workers” to canvass for signatures to put the measure on the November 2024 ballot, according to Gongwer News Service. Organizers also said they’re prepared to fight efforts to raise Ohio’s voter-approval threshold to 60% for constitutional amendments, such as the minimum wage issue.

Organizers of Ohio’s minimum wage initiative include One Fair Wage, a national group that seeks to raise the minimum wage in 25 states. The organization is overseen by a board that includes a UC Berkeley professor; a climate scientist from George Mason University; and the executive director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income. 4/25/2023

OMA Leads Opposition to FTC’s Ban on Non-Competes

As previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission has proposed banning non-compete agreements. This ban would disrupt the operations of most manufacturers, according to a recent poll that found 70% of manufacturers use non-competes.

This week, the OMA and other key Ohio business groups submitted comments to the FTC, opposing the proposed rule. The letter has been forwarded to Ohio’s federal delegation. 4/20/2023