At no other time in recent memory have work force issues been quite as prominent as they are today.
As the nation's economy continues along its prosperous way in the face of low unemployment levels not seen in over 30 years, businesses across the nation are scrambling to find the right work force to sustain their growth in a globally competitive market.
Many states and communities are wringing their hands over this "problem," and many, faced with the specter of no available workers, are hanging out the "no vacancy" sign to new companies looking for a place to expand and prosper.
Not Ohio.
The Buckeye State has taken an aggressive, proactive approach to solving this "problem." In fact, to Ohioans, it's an opportunity. Ohio recognized long ago that the key to business attraction and a vibrant economy is a strong and educated work force.
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Within a 600 mile radius of Ohio is:
- 61 percent of the U.S. population
- 63 percent of U.S. manufacturing operations
- 50 percent of the Canadian market
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In 1996, the population grew to more than 11 million, continuing the 13-year upward trend. Ohio's labor force is projected to grow by 540,000 during the 1994-2005 period, representing nearly a 10 percent increase.
Thanks to the leadership of Governor George V. Voinovich, the state is continuing to tackle important work force issues and address the needs of its employers. But rather than applying a top down approach that adds another layer of bureaucracy, the state has worked from the bottom up.
Take for example, the 25 One-Stop Employment and Training centers. Each is locally designed by the community to best fit their needs. Here all of the work force development entities are either co-located or linked electronically to provide a single entry point for either the potential employee or the employer.
Through the centers, employers have access to job profiling, assistance with recruiting and applicant screening, comprehensive labor market information, a large and diverse pool of qualified job seekers, and a variety of customized services geared toward meeting the employer's business needs.
The Ohio Job Service Employer Committee (JSEC) is an employer organization that works closely with the various One-Stop Employment and Training centers. Don Wood, president JSEC, states, "The concept of integrating related services into a seamless delivery system is an idea whose time has come ... I would strongly recommend that Ohio entrepreneurs or companies wanting to take advantage of Ohio's strong business climate make full use of all the employment-related programs available."
Resources in action
Ohio's cutting edge web site, www.connectohio.com, is proving to be a valuable tool linking Ohio's resources under one address. From community profiles to unemployment statistics, from educational facilities to industrial sites, the information is readily available.
Also located on the site is a place for perspective employees and employers to connect. The site houses Ohio Job Net, a statewide skill-based job matching system. On any given day, the Job Net contains the names, skills and locations of as many as 300,000 job-ready workers.
Ohio's standing as a thriving economy is serving as its own labor force recruitment tool. Currently, 66 percent of the calls received on the state's toll-free number are from job-seekers.
Workers with experience
| Ohio had 1,202
private sector
investment
projects in 1997. |
Ohio is a rapidly growing state with a skilled work force of six million. So just who are Ohio's workers?
The Buckeye State's manufacturing sector employs 1.1 million people, making Ohio the second largest manufacturing state in the nation. The metal working industry alone employs nearly 150,000.
Ohio is the nation's leader in the plastics industry employing more than 100,000. Nearly 10 percent of all U.S. plastic products are manufactured in Ohio.
With 683 automotive facilities statewide, the Ohio operations of companies like Chrysler, Honda, General Motors, and Ford -- among others -- comprise 12.2 percent of the industry's national work force.
Manufacturing has been the lifeblood of the Midwest since the Industrial Revolution, but other industries like research and development are also calling Ohio home. Approximately $5 billion is invested annually into R&D by Ohio's industrial community.
Education, training,
tailored to fit
"A work force with the skill to operate the best tools of production will not only survive, but thrive in the coming consolidation of manufacturing capacity," said John Damschroder, special projects director of the Ohio Department of Development.
Product life cycles are shortening. Goodyear Tire in Akron is securing half their revenues from products they didn't sell four years ago. Production at Lucent in Columbus is occurring today with tools that didn't exist four years ago. These tools required new skills -- skills which the employees gained through a customized training program at the community college.
Each company's needs are specific, requiring tailored solutions and a work force capable of keeping up with the impact of technology in the work environment. Local economic development groups, local employers and local educators throughout the state are creating customized solutions to meet the needs of companies, large and small.
State fosters prosperous business climate
In addition to the numerous incentives offered by the state, which have become the basis for similar programs in 44 states across the nation, Ohio has aggressively addressed other business issues. Over the last four years, unemployment tax cuts to employers total more than $395 million. Last year, employers paid $210 million less in unemployment taxes than in 1996 equating to a 27 percent cut on average. In only three years, Ohio businesses have saved $2.4 billion in workers' compensation rate reductions and dividend credits.
All of this has helped to make Ohio's business climate one of the nation's most hospitable to economic growth, and the numbers show it with more expansions than any other state in the country since 1991.
"Predictably, success based on helping employers solve their business problems has taken on a life of its own in Ohio," states Damschroder.
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