Job Postings in 18-County Region Highest Since 2008

COLUMBUS – The number of job openings in Ohio continues to rise despite inflation and other economic concerns raising concerns of an impending recession.

In the 18-county northeastern region, 115,497 jobs posted on OhioMeansJobs.com between May 14 and June 13 – the highest number since at least 2008. The region includes Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties.

The figure represents an increase of 4,905 from a month earlier and an increase of 29,044 from the same period a year ago.

Most of the jobs are middle income ($30,000 to $49,000) at 28.3% and upper income ($50,000 to $79,000) at 26.9%. Those are followed distantly by six-figure jobs at 17.3%, entry level (less than $30,000) at 16.9%, and high-income jobs ($80,000 to $99,000) at 10.6%.

Regionally, 43.6% of jobs require a GED or high school diploma, followed by 37.8% requiring a bachelor’s degree. Only 13.6% request at least an associate-level degree, with 2.6% a master’s degree and 2.5% a doctorate, according to OhioMeansJobs.

The top jobs open in the region are registered nurses, with 6,579 job postings; first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, 4,786; heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 4,558; retail salespersons, 3,345; software developers, applications, 2,811; computer occupations, all others, 2,571; first line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers, 2,292; and stock clerks and order fillers, 2,211.

Overall, health care continues to lead the need for employees with health care practitioners and technical occupations making up 13% of all jobs sought in northeastern Ohio, while health care support occupations contributed another 4% of all job openings, a total of 19,653 openings.

Sales and related occupations were 12% of the job openings at 14,205.

Statewide, the number of job openings posted over the past month, 342,215, represented an increase of 2,822 from a month ago and more than the number of unemployed workers in the state, which was reported last week at 224,000. The state currently has a 62% labor force participation rate.

The latest job openings represent an increase of 92,597 from the same period a year ago.

Just over half of the job openings are middle income at 25.8% or upper income at 25.5%, followed by six-figure jobs at 22.4%. The entry-level positions represent 14.8% of openings, followed by high-income jobs at 11.5%.

Statewide, the majority of jobs, 42.1%, require a bachelor’s degree, followed by a GED or high school diploma at 39.4%, associate’s degree at 13.4%, and either a master’s or doctorate degree, both at 2.6%.

Again, registered nurses top the list of most-sought applicants with 15,880 job postings, followed by heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 14,607; first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, 12,048; software developers, applications, 11,812; and computer occupations, all other, 10,134.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.