Saturday, May 29, 2004
More employers have been contacting YSU to find qualified applicants.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
Megan Massacci figured that one of her first purchases after receiving her diploma would be a plane ticket to Las Vegas.
Many of her friends already had left for jobs in Vegas, Chicago, San Diego and Nashville, and the marketing major from Warren assumed she was next.
She had little hope of landing a job in the Mahoning Valley, where unemployment remains high and corporate jobs are continuing to disappear.
But by the time Massacci received her diploma two weeks ago at Youngstown State University, she found herself in a place that surprised her -- behind a desk at the corporate offices of Forum Health in Liberty. She was hired in April as capital campaign coordinator for the company, which operates local hospitals.
"I don't think there are that many jobs in the Youngstown area for young graduates," said Massacci, 23. "I just happened to get lucky."
Only luck?
It may have been luck, or perhaps the job market is looking up.
Bernie Cummins, director of career services at YSU, said the employment picture has been bleak, but starting in March, more employers began contacting the university about job openings.
"Graduates this year face a job market that's definitely improving. It's not nearly as discouraging at this time of year as it has been the last several years," he said.
Many companies had grown cautious in recent years, not wanting to add workers in case an economic recovery didn't take hold.
"You knew they were going to break loose at some point," he said.
Analyst's assessment
Don Curry, labor market analyst for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in Youngstown, said he's seeing some improvement as well, even though the economy of the Mahoning Valley continues to lag behind other parts of the state.
In April, Youngstown's unemployment rate of 13.3 percent was the highest among Ohio's larger cities. The jobless rate for the three-county Valley was 7.1 percent, compared with the state average of 5.8 percent.
The future looks like more of the same. A state report from last August projects the number of jobs in the Valley will grow by about 6 percent through 2010, compared with a statewide average of 11 percent.
The report cites the area's reliance on manufacturing, which is suffering for the most part, but the area also has lost jobs from corporate consolidations and closings. Banks have been cutting jobs as they merge, and locally based companies such as Commercial Intertech Corp. and Phar-Mor have either been sold or closed.
It's not all bad news, however, said Betty Jo Licata, dean of YSU's business school. Some employers are hiring, such as financial services firms, accounting firms and a company that handles shipping logistics.
Growth areas
Curry said computer-related fields, nursing and engineering remain growth areas locally. A specialized degree greatly enhances a person's chances of starting a career, he said.
"If they get a degree like mine, history plus political science, they're going to have a difficult time finding a job," he said.
Not everyone has to go to college to find a good job, however, he said. He or she just needs to be trained as a truck driver, automotive technician or some other field that's in demand.
"High school graduates have got to face the reality that just about all the good jobs require specialized training past high school," Curry said.
Even a college degree doesn't guarantee success, Licata said.
"These days, employers require a lot more than putting in time in class and earning a degree," she said.
Employers want someone who can contribute right away, so they are looking for someone who has had a good internship and developed leadership and communication skills through participation in community service, student groups and professional associations, she said.
Cummins said learning how to conduct a job search properly and how to interview well are critical.
"The competition is still pretty fierce," he said.
That means some people need what Cummins calls "geographic flexibility" -- in other words, a willingness to leave the Valley.
Building a career
It's better to move while you're young so you can get the experience needed to build a career, rather than wait at home and watch others pass you by, he said. Later in life, with experience, a person can pick where they want to live, he said.
Curry said more area residents in recent years are taking jobs in Akron, Cleveland or Pittsburgh but maintaining their homes here because it's more affordable.
"Commuting, unfortunately, is almost a given anymore," he said.
shilling@vindy.com