The recent publication highlights an increase in healthcare positions in northeastern Ohio and provides local colleges with information that help provide students with the specific skills that employers are seeking.
Team NEO, along with Workforce Connect (led by Cuyahoga Community College) have released the December 2020 Quarterly Economic Review. The quarterly publication analyses job postings to gauge trends in the job market in northeastern Ohio. Results of the study show that overall job postings have not changed dramatically, although healthcare and social assistance positions constitute the greatest share of positions listed. The study also notes that trends influenced by the pandemic have led to an increase in job postings in the shipping industry and declines in hospitality and entertainment. In addition to analyzing the data about what kind of jobs are in demand, the report also looks at what skills employers most often list as critical to the jobs they are trying to fill.
Team NEO was founded in 2003 and is dedicated to attracting new businesses to northeastern Ohio. As part of that mission, Team NEO publishes a report every quarter measuring and analyzing job trends in the region. The organization teams up with other local groups to review and publish the findings of their research, giving local colleges insight into how to provide the best educational opportunities for students. Workforce Connect is a partnership between regional colleges, government offices, and business and charitable organizations whose goal is connecting citizens of northeastern Ohio with employers who provide well-paying jobs. Workforce Connect collaborates with Team NEO to create the quarterly report.
Cuyahoga Community College works closely with The Workforce Connect Healthcare Sector Partnership (WCHSP) to gain a better understanding of what local healthcare providers are seeking in new applicants. Executive Director of the Workforce Connect Healthcare Sector Partnership Sue Krejci explained in a recent article that the WCHSP, "…serves as a platform for employers to discuss common hiring challenges and address the needs identified so clearly in the Quarterly Economic Review report. By working together, Northeast Ohio hospital systems can create a shared strategy to engage the right job candidates, provide access to the right training and education and, ultimately, help people build careers in health care."
The most recent Quarterly Economic Review analyzes data from an eight month period from March to October 2020. The findings revealed that the employment landscape has shifted. Many high-demand sectors such as information technology, healthcare, and select manufacturing sectors saw increases in job postings, other sectors saw declines as consumers responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the government restrictions that accompanied it. Those changes in behaviors led to increases in the shipping industry and in e-commerce companies like Amazon and Carvana. Some traditional retailers, such as grocery chains, have seen growth too. Giant Eagle, for example, has posted over 3,000 openings. The most commonly listed skill in job postings across all sectors was communication.