Is Western Ohio Manufacturing Slowing?

“As goes Ohio…” isn’t only for politics, Western Ohio manufacturers’ workforce orders have been steady this spring but not at as robust as in 2015, which the April Jobs Report (Bureau of Labor Statistics) reflected. Although positive, new jobs created by US employers in April, 160,000, was down 63,000 from a year ago. On an optimistic note, TheStreet.com related that the US economy only has to produce 100,000 new jobs per month to maintain the current unemployment rate, a new benchmark.

HR Associates’ President, Heather Risner, anticipates a typical summer upswing in local manufacturing, as a few clients are trying to beat the competition to the punch by putting in their large orders now. She has also received a few orders for summer contract work for returning college students.

With unemployment rates averaging below 5% in the Miami Valley, competition for viable candidates has been fierce and employers are struggling to find employees who will continue to work past a 90 day training timeline. As unemployment rates remain at historic lows, a handful of local manufacturers have increased wages by as much as 8.4%, indicating a proactive approach to acquiring and retaining a better workforce. There comes a time when a company calculates the costs associated with a swinging door and they begin to take a hard look at the importance of workforce retention, through the fog of production quotas.

HAT holding down the fort in Tipp.

]]>