In the current labor market, the number of job openings continues to outpace the number of workers available to fill them, a trend that is here to stay, a panel of experts said on Monday at the 2022 Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments General Assembly.
The panelists, who were discussing regional economic development trends and work force development at a meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg, highlighted the importance of regional partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and economic development organizations to help address the issue.
Unfortunately, many business owners and customers understand the situation all too well, said Russell Mills, senior director of the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University.
“I do think this is the new norm,” Mr. Mills said.
Nationally participation by individuals in the labor market has declined from 67 percent pre-pandemic to 62.4 percent now, leading to the shortfall. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in Ohio, 155,000 people quit their job in January, 2022, which was an increase of more than 25,000 people who quit during the same month two years ago.
While some left the work force to care for family, others became self-employed. Others chose retirement or found new opportunities.
Barring a significant event, the low unemployment numbers, high inflation, and record household wealth will continue to fuel the current labor climate, Mr. Mills said.
“What could change all of this is some sort of recession,” he said. “Recessions have changed the economy overnight. If we had some kind of recession and God forbid people’s personal savings were dwindled, I imagine the market would have a lot of people entering back into it. All this is dependent on what happens with the macroeconomy, but I do think this is here to stay with the economy that we have today.”
Mary DeWitt, work force administrator for Ohio Means Jobs in Wood County, said that her agency provides grant money and resources for job training and hiring practices. Her agency has also worked to facilitate apprenticeship programs between the business community and high schools and universities in order to connect employers with potential workers.
She advised businesses to implement strategies to retain a work force, with perks such as remote work opportunities, web-based learning, training, and being “family-focused” by offering incentives such as childcare stipends.
“I could talk for 30 minutes about childcare. Companies have to be flexible,” she said.
Edward Ewers, superintendent of Penta Career Center, a career tech school where 16-member high schools have access to 65 career tech programs, said that getting students prepared for today’s job market also includes a broader range of classes. For example, information technology students will also learn about hardware, software, and cybersecurity.
“We want our students to have transferrable skills so that they can be successful in your businesses,” he said.
Penta Career Center also offers adult training programs that range from five to 15 weeks and are directly related to a variety of industries.
To encourage enrollment in post-secondary education, Kojo Quartey, president of Monroe Community College, said that the state of Michigan has implemented incentives. These include free education to frontline workers and individuals over age 25 who have never attended college. As a result, fall enrollment was up 11.2 percent and minority enrollment increased 13 percent and Black student enrollment rose 28 percent.
The program is part of “Sixty by 30” initiative, which is a state of Michigan effort to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree from 49 percent today to 60 percent by 2030.
Despite those efforts, Michigan is currently not tracking to reach that goal, Mr. Quartey said.
First Published April 25, 2022, 10:05 p.m.
