Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving Dinner Table Talking Points Memo



Preparations.  My wife is making pie.  I'm typing this talking points memo.
Preparations are underway for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Let me suggest one more preparation--prepare to talk about the growing chance for jobs in Ohio.

Here's your talking points memo for Thanksgiving Dinner, particularly if some homesick Ohio relatives are at the table.

Ohio may be ready to welcome your relatives back, with a job to boot.

Here's why:

The Class of  '65 turns 65 this class year.  It's also when the first wave of the baby boomer generation starts to turn the conventionally-thought-of retirement age. 

I've shared this Ohio Dept. of Development stat before: The number of Ohioans on average who, in 2010, turned 65 was 19. In 2012, that number jumps to 114 a day.

These demographic facts, and a recovering, albeit slowly recovery, economy explains why employers are starting to face workforce shortages. 

Licking County's unemployment rate is a full point lower than it was this time a year ago.  Help wanted signs are more plentiful than in a very, very long time.  Skilled workers with a background in welding or multicraft maintenance are, particularly, in high demand.

Promise of an oil and gas boom east of us is already fueling the production levels of manufacturers in that industry's supply chain, including Licking County ones.  Case in point:  Ariel Corp. in nearby Mt. Vernon has been underway with a recruiting campaign to fill their manufacturing workforce needs. 

Licking County and much of Ohio are experiencing the early throngs of a manufacturing renaissance.  Statewide, this week alone, announcements of new projects and jobs being created are in the thousands.  Historically hard-hit towns like Youngstown, Toledo, and Lorain are the places where, combined, billions of dollars of capital investment have been announced or are underway at steel plants and auto plants.  Believe it.

Governor Kasich has been citing OhioMeansJobs.com job postings as a sign of unfilled jobs.  Last check, it was over 82,000.

So, pass the turkey and get your grandkids' resumes in hand.

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