By Clint Knight
Director of Workforce Development
As business owners and employers, you are all too familiar with the challenges of finding and retaining talent. In the last few years, it has felt like the deck was completely stacked against companies. As a country, we were already facing the challenge of an aging workforce and high numbers of retirements. In the midst of that, we experienced a pandemic – a complete and unwelcomed reboot. As we resurfaced from COVID, record numbers were applying for unemployment.
Now here we are, several years out from that experience – we’re still facing the challenge of an aging workforce. This is evident in industries across the country where we are losing seasoned talent in occupations like education, nursing, truck drivers, and industrial machining. However, this year new unemployment applications in Richland County have dropped from 100 per week in January to less than 40 per week in May.
So where do we go from here?
We’re seeing a lot of innovation across the region in the form of technology, process change, upskilling of employees, and a variety of retention efforts. Businesses are becoming more efficient out of necessity. The inability to fill open positions has taught companies that there are ways to operate in a leaner fashion. More importantly, employers have found more effective ways
to keep and invest in the employees that they have.
An important part of this effort is the annual public Job Fair, hosted for nearly 10 years by the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development in partnership with the Area 10 Workforce Development Board and Ohio Means Jobs Richland County. The Job Fair has been essential for connecting employers with job seekers, adapting over the years to maximize value for both parties. Attention should also be given to the evolving efforts in education. Our region has strong Career Centers, and they’re currently busting at the seams. Traditional classrooms are integrating curriculum that ties to local industry, driven by the Teach Bootcamps. The Ohio High School Tech Internship program drives early relationships between employers and students who are looking for highly technical careers.
I could go on and on about the events that are happening in our region to build a skilled and engaged workforce. There is a silver lining. It’s been a challenging 5 years in the workforce – but by working together, we’re making a difference. As an economic community, we are building new partnerships – across county lines and in the classrooms. We’re building the talent of tomorrow and more effectively engaging the talent in our workplaces. It’s a great time to do business in Mid Ohio, and there are many opportunities for your business to get involved and benefit.
Reach out to me, and let’s do this together!
Best,
Clint Knight
Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development
Director of Workforce Development