High Demand Occupations, Training Not Aligned

CLEVELAND — There is a misalignment of job opportunities and workforce in growing, high-potential industries, many offering family-sustaining wages, reports the Aligning Opportunities report by Team Northeast Ohio. The report, funded by the Cleveland Foundation and The Sherwin-Williams Co., was released today.

The study is an update to Team NEO’s 2017 Aligning Opportunities report. It looks at labor force trends, job demand through 2021, talent supply, and demand and supply alignment in three high-growth industries — computer and IT, health care and manufacturing .

New to the 2018 edition is a look at entry alignment (positions that require less than five years of experience) and risk of automation (probability of computerization). In addition, a new occupation group, education, was added to this year’s report.

“The objective of conducting this research is to provide a tool that assists secondary and postsecondary educational institutions across Northeast Ohio in re-evaluating professional and technical education and training programs,” said Jacob Duritsky, vice president, strategy and research for Team NEO. “There is a significant gap between employer demand and the types of degrees being offered. By 2020, a projected 65% of jobs will require a postsecondary credential, and there will continue to be a significant gap.”

Other key findings include:

• There is a tremendous opportunity to connect qualified candidates to well-paying jobs in high-potential industries in northeast Ohio.
• The most in-demand sectors are manufacturing, health care and IT.
• Of the 19 occupation categories studied, and 350 different jobs associated with them, only three are aligned with supply and demand. Further, for entry-level positions, only two of the 19 are aligned.

Economic development partners and educational institutions across the region will use these study results as a foundation for discussions about accelerating talent development policy, Duritsky noted.

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