2021 Results: Talent

Home to a labor force of almost 5.7 million people and hundreds of higher education institutions, Ohio continues to fuel one of its greatest assets for business: a robust, skilled, and hardworking workforce. As the way we work evolves, JobsOhio is committed to meeting the needs of employers today and into the future. Even in the face of post-pandemic uncertainty, Ohioans work hard to make the state’s economy expand. We are not only skilled; our work ethic embodies a spirit of dedication and pride rarely seen elsewhere. Ohio’s highly educated workforce is ready to help businesses grow.

JobsOhio’s talent strategy combines proactive talent attraction, talent growth and retention, company talent support, and upskilling/reskilling initiatives to set Ohio businesses up for long- term growth. In 2021, three JobsOhio programs served as the foundation for that strategy: Talent Acquisition Services, Find Your Ohio, and Ohio To Work. JobsOhio also prioritized investments to support Ohio’s workforce and establish an emerging pipeline of talent for employers, such as the creation of three Innovation Districts. These strategies have helped hundreds of companies ready themselves for the generational opportunity in front of Ohio today.

The Talent Acquisition Services incentive is designed to support companies investing in Ohio with their talent needs. JobsOhio assists companies in identifying their biggest recruitment and retention challenges and then works alongside them to build and execute sustainable solutions to reach their talent goals. Solutions may include efforts related to:

• Awareness
• Engagement
• Selection
• Training

Reskilling, resiliency, and agility.

JobsOhio and its regional partners in Brown County saw a specific need for welders. With a forward-thinking mindset, JobsOhio worked with American Trailer Works and REDI Cincinnati to meet the talent volume through upskilling and reskilling programs. To fill the pipeline, they asked the Brown & Clermont Adult Career Campuses to train new workers before sending them to the production line. JobsOhio’s funding not only helped produce highly skilled and well-paid welders for a growing company but also bolstered Ohio’s overall workforce.

Ohio To Work is an initiative that helps displaced and at-risk Ohio workers find new employment or pursue reskilling opportunities for in-demand jobs. It was first launched in Cleveland in 2020 to support unemployed or underemployed Ohioans impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, Ohio To Work has helped thousands of Ohio job seekers. In 2021, Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and JobsOhio expanded the initiative into Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati, Dayton, and the Mahoning Valley due to its success in creating career pathways for Ohioans.

The Find Your Ohio talent attraction program aims to proactively drive in-demand talent to the state by matching out-of-state candidate resumes with openings at Ohio organizations.

The program was designed to address talent shortages that Ohio’s employers were facing in some of the state’s fastest-growing industries: technology, engineering, pharmaceutical and bioscience, and skilled trade. In addition to targeting individuals from across the U.S. with experience in these key job categories, this program seeks to entice transitioning military members, veterans, and Ohioans who are currently living elsewhere to the state.

Since its inception in 2020, Find Your Ohio has driven thousands of qualified applicants into its recruiting platform to be considered for Ohio’s most sought-after job opportunities. In 2021 alone, JobsOhio received over 2,600 candidate resumes and added 36 Ohio organizations to its list of program participants.