CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio’s job growth through innovation is expected to continue throughout this decade, and a panel of experts discussed how the workforce must evolve during a Fed Talk sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland on Monday.
Khaz Finley, outreach manager with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said that according to JobsOhio, central Ohio is expecting an 8% increase in jobs between 2020 and 2030. While that is the largest increase, central Ohio is not alone. Northeast Ohio is expecting a 3% increase, which translates to 60,337 jobs.
Currently, Ohio ranks second in the nation for mega projects, third for completed deals and capital investments, and fifth in new job creation.
The challenge, Finley said, is training the workforce for jobs that often require specialized skills, ranging from advanced manufacturing to health care.
“What does this say for employers and educators?” Finley asked. “It’s a clear call to action for all of us, aligning skills training certifications and education programs with the advanced roles emerging in defense, high tech, manufacturing and logistics.”
Lavea Brachman, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and visiting fellow at University College London, said many of the technician jobs being created – such as in chip and semiconductor manufacturing – require two-year degrees. She said 40% of technician jobs in the semiconductor sector are at risk of going unfilled.
Additionally, Brachman said the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association found an 80% overlap in competencies across manufacturing industries, meaning skills and training for one job should lead to other opportunities.
She said overall cooperation is needed between industry, K-12 schools, technical schools and community colleges to tailor programs to provide the skills people will need. She also stressed the importance of drawing on all groups to fill the “talent crunch,” including rural and urban residents, older and younger workers, and veterans.
Abbi Failla, vice president of business operations at EASE Logistics, a supply chain and logistics provider in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, said the company is partnering with K-12 schools, community colleges and universities to identify and prepare people for the industry. She also is part of the Ohio Supply Chain Academic Network.
“We are focusing specifically on how do we create these pathways, how do we work in collaboration with these companies coming into town to understand what their workforce needs are going to be in the immediate term and in the future term,” Failla said.
While Germany starts training apprentices at an average age of 18, Failla said in Ohio the average is closer to 29 – a gap that represents 11 years of lost productivity. She added that 50% of Ohio’s college graduates are leaving the state, noting the need to attract, retain, train and upskill the workforce.
Scott McLemore, a member of the executive board of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and executive in residence at Columbus State Community College, said Ohio ranks fourth in the nation in manufacturing GDP, behind California, Texas and Illinois.
Manufacturing needs people at all levels, he said, and many plants require two technicians for every engineering technician. Those roles typically require a technical certificate or associate degree, with starting pay around $22 an hour and potential to rise to $48.
McLemore stressed the importance of keeping K-12 teachers informed about advanced manufacturing opportunities, because many only know their own fields of expertise. Allowing teachers to see inside local facilities and the skills needed there can help more students learn about those opportunities, he said.
Brachman also emphasized the need to make skills more portable and stackable so training can build toward additional certifications and career mobility. Most manufacturing today, she added, is not manual labor but requires technical training.
“Advanced manufacturing has great entry level positions that can grow into plant supervisors and managers,” Failla said, noting that the stereotype of warehouse jobs as hard labor with no growth is outdated.
She said entry-level warehouse jobs can lead to careers in logistics management, trucking dispatch and supply chain analysis.
“It really is making sure that our workforce stays curious and continues to upskill themselves and reaches out for those credentials that we can layer on top of each other, even if they don’t have a traditional education through a university,” Failla said.
Finley noted that the Fed has an occupational mobility explorer to help people identify transferable skills and see how they can branch into other jobs.
The panel also discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence and the fast-changing tech industry. Failla said it is important for employees to become lifelong learners and practice using AI.
Overall, the discussion highlighted the importance of industry and education collaborating – even sending employees to teach at community colleges and technical schools – to upskill the workforce and attract more people to Ohio.
“So I think it’s on all of us to be marketers for our state and for these companies and for these jobs, as we’re talking to people and have opportunities like this, to get the word out [about] the amazing opportunities that are in and are coming to Ohio,” Failla said. “And then as educators and as employers, it’s our job to work together to create those very clear pathways to make sure people know how to take advantage of them and who to reach out to in their community and take advantage of those community resources that we do have available.”